Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1902-06-23

in order to stay there. Few people
realize what the struggle of getting
college education means.
One day a classmate was looking
very blue and depressed. / said to
him: what is the matter? Has any.
thing gone wrong?" EYES," he an
swered, something has gone wrong,
and awfully wrong. You know father
and mother do not dress very WELL. AS
l went around in the homes of the diff
fprent boys and saw how well their
parents dressed began to be ashamed
of my parents wardrobe. Lately
have been upbraiding father for wear
ing such shabby clothes. Last night
again asked him to get new suit.
why, father | said, you have not
bought q new suit for three years, and
mothers dress is so old and has been
made over so many times that the
needle marks make the cloth look like
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, l am sorry you are
ashamed of the way your mother and
1 dress; but, my boy, l have not very
much money a3h it is hard to get along.
We do not dress as we'll as we might
because we want you and your youn-
ger brother to be able to get an educa-
ton 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 l 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 a struggle q 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 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 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 brillian
scholar who had captured every frs
prize in his class, but he was natura
born orator. With his first word 6
hush fell upon the assembled audience
At times his voice was as low an(
sweet as the singing birds making love
to each other in the harvest fields
Again that voice rolled and swelled a!
though the stormclouds were crash
ing together after the forked lightning
had hurled it's bolt and ripped opel
the heart of a mighty tree. At time
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, tn
bouquets of flowers began to fall as tn
apple blossoms tumble at the shaking
of the winds. The young man gath
cred up the bouquets and piled then
into the lap of the little old woman
prematurely aged by overwork, VIII
sat there in her faded gown. AS b
threw those flowers into her lap h
said: Mother, they are yours. | hav
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
faculty because he had graduated wit
; the highest average ever held by
! Hampden-Sidney student, the youn
: man turned and pinned this media
: upon the bosom of the faded dress c
7 the little old woman as he said: "MOtl
] err, that medal is all yours-it is a
e yours. You won it, not l."
How You Can Repay.
So. as see you young men and won
d en- coming up to graduation day, l sc
5 other faces behind yours. | see thos
e whose sacrifices have made this seer
d possible. | congratulate you that f(
o you the hard financial struggle of ge
: ting an education is over; l congrat1
e late you that the long and arduoJ
:. struggle of your loved ones in your b
: half is also over; l congratulate yo
/ because now you can go forth in IL
N of God tO aooOnDlich com