The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1903-04-24

them for ge~ntleness and thoroughness.
By angels hands to valor given,
Thy stars have lit the welkin dome,
And all thy hues were born in
Heaven.
Forever fioat that standard sheet!
Where breathes the foe, but falls be-
fore US,
With freedoms soil beneath our feet
And freedoms banner streaming
DER u.s."
with greatful thanks 1 accept his
flag, and as it floats in radient beauty
above the Union School, it will speak
to every child it's message of patriot
ism, pride of country and love of
home n native land"
Following came a rendition of the
soul stirring song, 1.-THE Red, White
and Blue" and then came the speech
by the orator of the occasion, Hon.
Geo. T. Winston. 1t was one of the
greatest educational addresses ever de-
livered in Wilmington and could only
have eliminated from such an able
cholar as this glorious son Of the Old
~No-A l. lcilS Lib L III q q
as follows:
1t is a very great pleasure and a very
great honor to stand before you tonight
and be for at least an hour the govern
or of North Carolina. You do not
know how it feels to be a governor
and such a governor, too! When a list
is made up of the governors Of North
Carolina in future times and each has
after his name something to distinguish
80 49, ~ 41~ - Gc@,r- ~ 4hN
people of his great commonwealth,
foremost among them all will shine
hat name which will have after it the
words, THE Children's Governor.'-
Charles B. Aycock
And what a pleasure and what an
honor it is to speak for this distin-
guished and patriotic order-an order
whose principles may be subscribed to
by every good and intelligent citizen
an order which seeks only the good of
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS., Liberty and Viz
tue. An order which has enrolled here
$50 members, n in the state of North
Carolina 5000, and in the whole United
States 250, 600 members.
And what a pleasure and what an
honor too it is to speak before this
audience n in this city. Some years
ago [ remember l ~endeavored to ascer-
tain what were the chief products and
~ IlluuSIllSS VI VII, LIZ LIZ
extent of your manufacturing plants,
the condition of your and a
statement of your banking establish
ments. I tell you the chief product Of
Wilmington is pretty girls. Now the
chief duty end chief problem for the
city of Wilmington is the education of
her children. That purpose, ahead Of
others. to which your great order is de-
vOted-the public education of children
stands the foremost duty today Of this
great state, as it is of the other states
of the United States. / rejOiced today,
as I came from Raleigh to GOldsboro
and from Goldsboro to Wilmington, n
saw the ploy-boy in the field turning
the hills to put in the corn and the cot
ton. and further along the berries were
ripening and the packers were repar
ing their products for the market, II
everywhere there were signs of pros
perity-thrift and life and industry.
So has the seed to be put in the ground
20 make the harvest, and I tell you
that the seed of the city is here before
us Those who are to be the leaders
CT the community are here, and they
era to be trained and developed as are
the crops of the harvest, by cultivation
education 1t is to them that we must
lock. and except they be made great
men, strong men, noble men and wo-
men, all else is vain and truly useless.
1t is the great problem of life.
Some one has told US how to raise a
boy right: Take him when eight years
old says his philosopher, and put him
in a barrel. Put both heads in the bar
rel and put on the hoops tight and
leave the bung hole open. Keep nm
there until he is sixteen years old, ara
then stop up the bung hole. One day
at Chapel Hill, after the boys at the
| university had been up to one of their
many pranks n some of the habitual
critics of the village had urged that all
of the boys be sent bac home, one old
farmer said. I'VE will hav to put up
with them boys I reckon. Them boys
is the only material we have to make
men out Of" All. there is no happier
animal on the face of the globe than a
small boy frying size-one of those lit
tie spring broilers. What are you going
to do with them? What are they 90
ing to be here in Wilmington in the
next generation? What lives will they
lead? Will they do things good and
glorious, or base and ignoble? What
will be the conditions of the next gen
Grafton? You are to answer these
questions. You are to decide, and you
are to decide largely by education-ed-
ucation in the public schools, ar the
expense of the whole community and
for the whole community. This is de-
mocracy. this is power, this is liberty,
this is progress, this is virtue, this Is