The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-03-01

society and are doing their utmost to
.arrv them forward. Just for Il R!gA
.eckoning. let us say twenty per cent.
suppose twenty per cent of this conmu-
lItv had reached it's ultimate cultivation
If hand, mind and body, were perfectly
sensible, perfectly well trained up to the
Joint of each man and woman s capacity;
each one had perfect character and did
perfect work, it would be an exceptional
community So long as only twenty out
Of a hundred do their perfect work,
those twenty have to carry the other
eighty. 1t may not have to maintain
them with bread and meat, but it would
nave to supply them with ideas ahd oD-
portunities. Suppose now it We're posi-
ole, and it is possible, else the democratic
theory will not apply here and it has
applied in every other case that we have
tried, to gradually bring every human be-
ing, and l mean every human being: /
am not talking about men only, tut
women and children under six as WELL
not OF white men only, but of the red
black, ginger cake and all other color5,
because every man belongs to the COM
munity and contributes something to its
advancement or to it's retrogression,-
suppose every one we're so trained in
any community, what would be the re-
suit? 1t would be such a thing as no
one could adequately conceive. The re-
suit would be this: that that communl-
ty would stand on its own footing, would
stand on it's own development on its
own traditions, would stand by its own
industries, IN certain sense, self
maintained. Think what development of
industry it would have. Everything
from hewers of wood, who would hew
their wood better than men anywhere
. elset up to the most finished scholar; all
along the line OF human labor, from the
trades to the highest skill, every one
would be a master. Now think what that
community would be, it would stand
like a light on mountain and men
would flock from the uttermost parts of
the earth to see it. Rich! There would
be no need of riches Free! So free they
would be that they would not need the
word freedom. Intelligent! You could
find experts on any subject whatever.
Now this is not a mere dream of thing
that cannot be accomplished, because in
every community in the United States
there is a certain per cent. of people
ideal Now such a community would
have itself admirably and adequately
adjusted to every other community in the
whole Republic. Then every community
like that would be absolutely national in
it's thought because sectionalism and
provincialism are nothing in the world
but evidences of arrested development,
and when community is perfectly de-
veloped in itself it knows no such short
Jennings. And there is one other great
truth, that you cannot bring men or
women to the very highest development
until the society all about them has had
its highest development One intelligent
or cultivated being in an ignorant COM
munity ceases to be as intelligent or
cultivated as he would be with the
stimulus of all the rest of life. So that
the place to begin is at the top and at
the bottom. Not at the top only nor
at the bottom only but it is like dig
ging a tunnel, you dig from one end and
the other simultaneously. So you may
train men at the top to the very highest
you can, but the progress must go on
also from the bottom; and so long as any
human being is left out of the scheme of
perfect training, this scheme is wrong.
You cannot tell to save your life but
that the one left out might have been
the greatest leader you have ever had.
This thought would apply to this in
teresting and important occasion. Set
here on this hill as an institution Tor
the training of the youth of both sexes.
That is training at the top, because they
enjoy advantages here that are excel
lent, that are thorough; they receive an
education which reminds one of Platos
great saying that if a man knows one
thing thoroughly, he will forever use
that as a standard to which to refer all
other things. That is the benefit of
higher training, that one gets ones
,standards fixed in youth for the whole
Iof life. Then this institution works
also at the other end of the problem. 1t
sends forth its men and its women TO
carry out the scheme of instruction
whereby there shall not be any neglect
ed. There is no other mission quite so
important as that, and of this institu-
tion, this beautiful library, which is one
of the most important possible instru-
ments to use to this end All depart
ments of the college must use it, but 1T
is especially the tool of those two or
three great strong departments which
you have here already developed so well
under such able men, mean the depart
ments of English and English Literature
and History; because just as laboratory
apparatus is the tool of physicists and
chemists so a library is the tool OF a
scholar This building, l believe, and L
think the prediction is warranted, marks
a new epoch, under the management OF
which we shall come to the proper inter-
probation Of the literature and traditions
of our own people. If it were dedicated
to that only it would be memorable
occasion, and dedicated to that among
other great uses, it will be doubly mem
orable Mr.. President, just before | left
New York l did myself the pleasure to
call on Mr.. James B. Duke, to whose
kindness and to whose generosity we owe
this beautiful building and it's equip
ment. ard 1 said, "Mr. Duke, they have
paid me the great compliment to ask me
to make the address at the opening OF
the library. What shall I say on that
OCCASION" And he said to me with
great earnestness and great impressive
ssuoJI +bopo oyorv m think