The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-05-19
commandments
BEGIN At SCHOOLS
Miss Gertrude Wilson Wins
the Orators Prize.
THIS IS AT GUILFORD
The Commencement at Oxford Seminary Opens
With the Baccaleureate Sermon by Rev.
R. c. B 'aman--- Sermon Before
Maggie Mutt Society.
Maggie Mutt Society.
Especial to News and Observer

Especial to News and Observer.)
Guilford College, N. c., May 1S.-For the
last two days Guilford College has been a
scene of great activity The beginning of
the commencement exercises, together with
the field-day sports drew large crowds,
especially of old students and graduates of
the college. This morning everybody
about the place seemed to be enjoying
themselves immensely, anticipating the
evening exercises The marshals this year
are: For the young men:
Mr. Marvin Hrden, Chief; Mr.. Edgar
Snipes, Mr.. Jos. D. Cox, Mr.. Charles G.
Loughlin. Mr.. C. Gordon Gainey.
For the young ladies': Miss R. Della
Raiford, chief; Miss May Walton Riddiok,
Miss Eta Blair, The Misses Genivieve
Tate, Miss Annie Holland.
The music this evening was furnished
vocal trio was given, and Immediately
the speaking began.
Miss Mamie Estelle Holt, of Greensboro.
was the first speaker. Her subject was.
"A Tardy Recognition She showed that
the gift of genius and mystery made the
temperament of Edgar Allen Poe appear
to the world as wholly evil; and that
he being little known was therefore little
appreciated. She said that his life was
destined by Fate to continuous strain of
sadness and suffering; that the parents
of Poe enacted the imaginary drama, and
he enacted the real in the play of "A
Human Life" that great geniuses are
often extremists and in this Poe was not
an exception; that his feeling was develop
ed at the expense of his will power, hence
a nature exceedingly passionate; that with
so vivid and powerful an imagination
he was carried into worlds beyond and
seemed to live as phantom, or as the
mysterious being of his weird tales that
it is only after the lapse of fifty years
that Poe is beginning to be appreciated
by the world 'The Raven" is now wing
ing its fight through the ages, and the
belody of The Bells will be heard by
generations yet unborn.
Universal Brotherhood" by Miss Bessie
Benbow, of Oak Ridge was second on the
program. She said in part: For three
centuries brotherhood has been developing
until now the uppermost thought in all
enlightened minds is that of peace. No
longer do we believe that might is right.
The war system has been practically abol-
ished by the rapid development of the in
ternational peace movement
But the speaker showed that although
this system has partially fulfilled the great
mission, it is not the highest attainment
of which humanity is capable, or which
it is destined to reach. Beyond it is a
stage where love and trust shall every
where prevail, and all nations good shall
be each nations rule. And we shall real
ize that true patriotism is the brother
hood of man, and know that the whole
world is one nation and single humanity
our country.
The audience was captured so complete
ly that the drop of pin might have been
heard when Miss Gertrude Wilson, of Can
ton. N. C.,.came forward with the Death
less Nation" She gave much valuable
about the Jews she said:
when Frederick the Great asked his
chaplain the briefest and most conclusive
argument for the truth of the Scriptures,
his laconic answer was, The Jews, your
Majesty This is shown from the fact
that they alone of the e-hstoric nations
survive the wreck of time. They not only
have been but are, and despite cruel per-
secution and the curse of being scattered
to the four corners of the earth are
steadily moving forward. In New York
city every one person in four is a jew,
and in every nation they are foremost.
Miss Wilson said that the return of
the Jews to Palestine is no longer an idle
dream since there are $4,000 of the chosen
tribe already located there; and when the
remainder aggregating 12,O00,00O shall be
collected and the model kingdom estab-
lished, it VIII become refuge for this
oppressed people, panacea for ills so long
endured.
The most forcible speaker of the even
ing was Miss Edna M. HILL of Hills
Store. Her subject was Chaucer and
English Literature, and was fine litera-
ry production. In an eloquent manner she
related how King Harold and his brave
Thames We're conquered by the Norman
and how the Saxons were made body
slaves on their own estates and their lam
guage expelled from literature and culture.
But how the Saxons obtained their old |
crews and beautiful legends and finally
Chaucer as the Bright Morning Star OF
Song emerged from the gloom which
hung over the down trodden race: and
InaJ Win the Vlgor or MS genius ne ac-
a task so vast that even the
experience and learning of this goth CEN
tury would hesitate to undertake it. He
gathered together the crude language of
the Saxons, and by his writings, the first
of which were the Canterbury Tales he
founded our language and our literature,
and handed them down to posterity as a
glorious heritage.
"A Light in Darkness" by Miss Lucilla
Harden, of jamestown, was the last on the
The speaker spoke fuently on