The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1904-06-17
THE PLATFORM MEETING
Three Speakers Occupied the Even
ing's Hours in the P%resenta-
ton OF Timely Tories.

III lIS dUSeIlCc VI lT. MClJOWell. Oh
New York, who was scheduled to
deliver al address at the corn palace
Monday evening as a part Of the
University commencement exercises
he being unable to till the engage
ment or account Of his recent cleo
tion as Il bishop OF the Methodist
church-an informal program was
arranged by DR.. Nicholson that ans
wered the purpose nicely. He drew
on the services and talent of DR.. +.
L. Thompson and Ethan T. Cotton
to help entertain the large nun
Der OF people who were in at
tendance at tue meeting. DR.. Mich
olson presided during the evening,
and the service was opened with
prayer by Rev. Mr.. Chappell, of AL
eXandria. ana a vocal duet was rend-
cred by Miss Lee and Miss Lathrop
which was enjoyed beyond degree.
The selection was a very difficult one
aud displayed a wide range of voice
in each ca .e. Miss Perle Richard
played the accompaniment,
Ethan t. Cotton was the first
speaker Of the evening, and his long
time residence in Mitchell, when he
was a student of the University,
made him very popular with the ap-
dience. He spoke on the Life of
Christ He made a comparison of
the lives of two men who were born
under the same circumstances.
trained by the same religious organi-
zation. One of these became a min
lister and the other a layman, and the
latter goes to hear the minister
preach he gives a few cents to the
support OF the minister. who gives
his life's service. Mr.. Cotton chal.
lenged anybody to show a Single line
in the bible that would tend to make
1T appear that the responsibilities OF
the two men were unequal: that God
did not demand as much from one as
from the other. Yet in the cases
there was a wide variance of that the
two were giving to their Maker. MIR.
Cotton believed that religion should
enter into every occupation or pro-
feSsion and that none should be taken
up by any man without the individ-
ual first committing himself wholly
to God. the will of whom should be
paramount. He told a number of
thrilling stories that made his as
sertion good. He took the church to
task somewhat for its seeming inner
weakness, in that the members
have we'll bodies but carry with them
a hungry look. They needed braciug
up in the cause of religion and sug-
eested. that there might be invented
something to strengthen their spines.
DR.. Thompson who has been heard
twice before, was as interesting as
ever and had some new message to
bring to the people. He paid a very
fine tribute to DR.. Nicholson, who,
he SAID, was a much greater man
than his modest estimate of himself
had determined. In speaking of the
matter OF great undertakings he said
that all of them are founded upon
great world truths, great indisput.
able facts. Concerning these he re-
ferred to a geographical fact, where
in all great things ace accomplished
in the river valleys of the earth, sup
porting his contention by history.
OF political facts or truths, he refer
red to the success Of Dewey's fleet at
Manila bay, when OIL May 2, we
awoke with a new empire added to
u country, with the open door pol
icy established. Of the commercial
p%rovidences. be said that the COM
mercial interests of the country were
c%onverging on the western coast of
the United States. The indications
pointed to San Francisco and Port
land becoming the two great ports
of the world. He said that it was
inevitable that another great rail-
way system would be running from
the Twin Cities to Portland and it
must pass through Mitchell, the
Black Hills and west to it's objective
point. He said be expected to ride
this line in ten years. He de-
clared that the University was in the
center Of a circumference which in
the few years to come was going to
make the institution the greatest
school in the west.
DR.. Nicholson in carrying out the
last thought of DR.. Thompson, said
that he had great faith in the Uni
versity's growth and DEVELOPMENT,
and that he showed his faith by de-
three positions that had been
offered him before coming to Mitch.
ell, but he declined them on account
of the immediate future that he
car see for the University.
The addresses during the evening
were listened to with great interest
and all of them were much enioyed.
UNIVERSITY EIEIn NAV