Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-08-11
EATON REUNION.
Continued from Page One.)

TO. He Is a man OF dignified appear
ance on the platform, has voice that
could be distinctly heard by all the
audience, and Is pleasing of manner.
He spoke for about 80 minutes and
held the closest attention of his hear
ers. His address here. this evening.
was one Of the most able ever delivered
on n similar occasion in this town.
Mr.. Smith took his theme 1.-The Car
dinal Points in the Scholars Charac-
ter He spoke in part as follows:
4 mention. therefore, first of these
cardinal points Honesty. We Aneri-
cans are coming to hold that educa .
ton, which we define as 'nteiiectuai
only, is the cure for all Ills.
Much is said. today, about IN"
scholar in politics. and active efforts
are being made to induce our college
and university graduates to enter poll
ltical life as a career. The avowed aim
of the latter movement is the purifica-
ton of our political system. What
will the result be? Will these students
brin;; with them character, one o.
whose cardinal points shall be the Old
Fashioned virtue of honesty:
The student is seeking the truth. II
| he is studying for any other end, nc
has no claim whatever to scholarship.
If ;s tho very nature of scholarship to
ee; Mt all the facts, to weigh carefully
| and honestly all the evidence, to draw
| fair and legitimate differences. Pride
and prejudice, twin growths from the
same root, are tire two great obstacles
in the way of the development Of that
fearless honesty without which the
scholar cannot have a worthy charac-
ter. The scholar IL he be worthy th9
lname, will never deny what he feels 10
be the truth for amy fear Of conse-
uuences What is YOUR opinion or
mi..e, what is the prize of intellectual
battle, compared to the truth? 1t is
tine truth. the whole truth, and moth
ing bat the truth" that W.. want.
The second of the cardinal points
would mention is Humility. Conceit
is unfortunately not an uncommon vic !.
of learned men. But it is wisdom, not
llnt Wedge that enters irto character,
and wisdom is humble. Pride, vaniety,
conceit,-call il by whatever name you
willis the characteristics vice of the
ignorant. Humility is not to be- con-
founded with humiliation. The latte"
is the naughty spirit that goes before
a fall Humility inoculates against
humiliation The humble student will
" elcome. IS the honest student Will
seek. light from every quarter.
The third element which enters into
the character of the scholar is Breadth.
Breadth is too simple a word to need
difnition. 1t may be necessary 70
guard it on the negative side by say
ing it is not to be defined as an at
tempt on the part of the student T.
cover the entire field of human EnoWi-
edge. The scholar is not jack at all
intellectual trades. and good for moth
ing il. each of them. But the field -
so vast, its limits have been extended
SO widely. with sueh breathlcss speed.
and the process is still going on so be
wilderingly, that specialization is
necessary demand of TIE age. He who
would accomplish anything worth
while for his generation must say.
This one thing | 10" Yet til" spec
| felist must not he narrow; there is a
danger that the man will lose himself
in his vocation. The worst narrow
lness is to sink the ms n in the trades
man.
| i
enters into the character If the echolar
reverence. Reverence is the girdic
binding together all the other elements
tOf character.
| Tremendous problems confront our
nation and our age.-No miShtitr ever
confronted any nation or any age. Yet
ithey are all parts of one supreme ana
everlasting proposition, viz. how can
man live together OF the earth rs chill
dren Of Col? Entangled in this ques-
ton are the problems of labor and
lcapital of municipal government. of
sanitation, light, air. water; of the
tenement and the slum; the race prob
jlem-the Clark threat of the negro III
the South and of the vast army Of i'm
migrants coming this year one million
strong to dwell in our tents: and OF
taxation, railroads control Transports
Ition, and tariffs. We, The people. must
Isettle these problems, CT pull down
Iour boastcd temple of liberty upon our
lheads. They will be settled by men
land women of scholarship and .harac-
lter-the trained mind and the clean
heart. Upon us as citizens Of the
pranJest nation of all time rests the
Lawful responsibility of helping to set
q tile problems that are appalling in thei!
magnitude. Along with all the schol :
larship at our command. a steadily
lgrowing volume, let us hope. let us al
$50 bring the character which alone
lean save It, that all-around charac-
tier. which. with it's Honesty, and HUI
Imility, ami Breadth. and Reverence
like the perfected city of God, neth
flour square"
| That the old graduates might here
1.-THE voices of some of their classmates
lMr. Eaton then called for extempo-
lraneous remarks from Clarence A. Nes-
ton of Portland. Henry NJ. Newton OF
New York. Frank Towers of Madison
Charles b. Davis of Waterville, and
LYMAN l.. Walton of Skowhegan. Be-
fore the close of the exercise the fol-
Iiowing telegram from the old principal
Twas read:
"Affectionate greetings to all. WISH
. | could be with you.
. (Signed) HAMLIN F. EATON"