Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1907-08-23
cREsco coUNTY,I IOWA. FRIDAY. AUGUST % 1907

first time. If that were $50 we would
again know just what to say. We
could then fall back upon the usual eff.
fusion of commencement day poetry
and rhetoric and conjure up all the
eloquent things we could think of to
say. We could congratulate him on
the successful completion OF his college
course, on the uniformly high standard
of his scholarship, and on the fact that
he was now graduated with more than
the usual high honors. We could go
further than that. We could call his
attention to the great talent he had al
ways displayed during his entire col
lege career; that he had delved deeper
into the mysteries Of law and ancient
Jurisprudence than any graduate who
had ever gone out from this particular
institution; or for that matter, from
any institution OF learning. We could
picture out to him the usual howery
path which leads on and on before him
to any amount Of wealth and high so.
cial and political positions, governor
ships, senatorships, even the high Office
of the presidency of the United States
would some day be looking for young
man of just such abilities as he possess
ed. In short, we could tell him that q
suffering and patient world has long
been waiting for his coming, and that it
would now surely receive him with
epen arms.
This would quite likely be very
gratifying to him and it would not
take much argument on our part to
convince him of the truth OF our state
ments. But now the maturity OF the
years of-his manhood forbid any in
diligence in such pleasing fancies. Had
we1the temerity to attempt it he would
not believe word we said-he would
even doubt the sanity OF our mental
make up. He would answer back and
tell us that he has now been walking
in that fowery path several years and
that so far in his journey he has failed
to see many of the flowers. Instead OF
finding the road broad and easy he had
found it somewhat billy. and rough,
and sometimes stony. Instead of its
always leading under propitious skies
from which the sun was always shining,
it led sometimes through darkness and
storm, and sometimes became a little
weary.
But, Clark call you .tClark" be-
cause you have always permitted your
friends to address you by that familiar
term-it is we'll that there are diff
cnlties in the way. You know, as we
all know sooner or later, that we do
not journey very far on life's highway
| till we learn that strength of character
comes through struggle, through self
denial, through manly and persistent
and determined efforts, through dis;
| cipline, and that it is for him who
oyer-cometh to wear the crown Of sue
cess. There is no such thing as a
howery path in this world. If there
were, and there were those who were
weak minded enough to attempt to
walk therein they would not go very
far till death would overtake them out
of sheer mental langor and physical
inactivity.
Clark, you and T, you and nearly
Eeyery man here tonight, have travelled
common road long way together;
and think we have done so with
mutual pleasure and profit. We now
stand at the parting of the way. You
must know and feel, as we all know
and feel tonight, that this is moment
LOT no small Importance to us. There
are several things which l would like
to say to you now about to depart from
US. There are several things also
which would like to say to your
friends remaining here. But / just
feel, and I know you feel, that at this
hour Of separation silence is preferable.
But there is one thing which must not
be omitted, it should be said for it is
the truth, and that is that you have,
lmy brother, the good wishes and
prayers of every man here as you &c