The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-06-08
II WILL BEAR FRUIT
Glenn's Address at Laurin-
burg High School.
The Closing Exercises wiz be Treasured as a
Happy Memory. A Tie for the
Neal Medal,

ways been one of the most potent
nifty. This school was founded twenty
years ago by Prof. w. G. Quackenbush
and not till two years ago did it change
hands when Prof. F. p Wyche became
principal and year later associated with
him Prof. d. X. McRae. The school has
always enjoyed the best patronage and
to 1t is largely attributable the high in
tellectual and moral sentiment that has
ever characterized this community
On Monday evening last the exercises
began with The annual concert under the
supervision of Mrs f. p. Wyche The
| program was chiefly musical of the highest
classical order, interspersed with laugh
| able plays and attractive reetations
The concert was immensely enjoyed by
| the large audience, the largest perhaps
ever assembled in the hall, and the man
ner in which the pupils performed the
various parts assigned them was strik-
| ing testimonial of the proficiency in
training they had received.
| Tuesday morning at 10 o'clock large
audience assembled in the city hall to
witness the remainder of the closing ex-
| ercfses, which were opened with an an
them sung by Misses Jessie Meyers. Eva
| Cowan, Kate Allen, Roberta Coble and
Messrs. George Everett and Hinton
James. Then followed the opening pray
er by Rev. A. N. Furgeson after which
! Prof. Wyche announced the following
| destinations as the next thing on the
program:
| Paul Holland, ~. B. Vance"
| Geo. Goodwin, Jefferson Davis
! The declarations were followed by a
debate, the query being
Resolved, That North Carolina should
enact compulsory school law"
The affirmative was represented by
Messrs. &c. Everett and Alex James.
| The. negative by Messrs Mac Smith and
| Pierce Wyche. All of the young men .ae-
quilted themselves in a very creditable
manner.
The real treat however to which
Scotland county people had been eagerly
! looking forward for the last few weeks
was at last about to be realized. Prompt
! ly at 11:20 o'clock Hon Hector Mclean
| assembled the rostrum and began the dis
charge Of the pleasing duty assigned him
He affirmed that in presenting to the or
! der the Hon r. B. Glenn, of Winston, he
was presenting the grandest orator in
| the State of North Carolina He also
alluded to the fact that it was Mr.. Glenn
who assumed management of the bill in
the Senate which created the new county
of Scotland
Mr.. Glenn prefaced his remarks with
| the statement that he did not deserve
! the kind things his friend had said about
! him; that it was not his intention or de-
| sire to soar to the sublime heights of
| oratory or please the fancies of his hear
ers: he had come to perform a plain but
important duty; he wished to say some
thing that would stimulate the boys and
| girls before him to renewed zeal and
nohler aspira tions.
While announcing no particular theme
Mr.. Glenn confined himself to discus
| sion of the development of mans mental
| physical and moral powers. Governor
| Russell of Massachusetts, once said:
amy man or woman with pluck energy
and determination can make a living
but so few try to make their lives noble. >"
| How can we make our lives noble? I
answer, strengthen your life mentally
beautify your life morally and develop
your physical powers. To the boys
would say, develop your physical being
run, Jump, swim, help your daddies saw
wood. To the girls I would say assist
your mother in her domestic duties
make up the beds, and a few turns at
the wash tub will not hurt you But.
mere physical culture is not sufficient
You must develop yourselves mentally
No need of grieving over unimproved OPP
pcrtunities, but make the best of present
opportunity; study your books, study his
| tory and literature, read sweet poetry
study philosophy, broaden your thinking
qualities. read good novels, but. shun, as
an unholy thing, the dirty, pernicious lit
erature which floods these modern times:
cast it from you and burn it az you would
some fearful pestilence.
Cultivate. Also your moral nature; it
is the foundation upon which to build
the basic principle of all true character,
and the very substrata of individual
and national life.
Here the speaker endeavored to incuI-
cate the spirit of ambition. Have an
ambition to do something and to be some
thing; have an ambition to make your
home rs attractive as possible, for
happy we'll regulated home is the grand
est hulwark of society. Better live and
die in oblivion than to be bedecked with
diamonds, than to wear judicial ermine.
than to adorn the chairs of Governors, if
these things are to be bought at the price
of the immortal soul.
Reference was here made to the dan
gers which confront the twentieth cen
fury civilization and the achievements of
man in the nineteenth century. Man has
reached to the clouds, grasped the light
ening and chained it to his vehicles OF
transportation. Craftsmanship has be-
come science and man is but little low
er than the angels, clothed in the image,
and almost the power of his God. But,
there are dangers confronting us; there
are problems demanding solution, prob
Ions which threaten tho very fabric of
our civilization. Forces are at work on
the religious world trying to break down
the salvation of the universe, and men