Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-06-27
Thursday, June 81, 1907.
The College Graduate.

Just now the college graduate holds
the center of the stage. This is his
season Of the year and although he
sraciOusly shares this honor Ia some
extent with his younger brothers and
sisters in the seminaries, academies
and public schools, he is nevertheless
the Individual upon whom the calcium
is turned most strongly. And what
there in cap and gown before the gaze
Of an admoDg world. How looked
struggling upward toward the height
he has attained, and with what envy
By those Of us who once stood long
ago in the place where he is stand
ing. How rich he is, though prob
ably not in the coin Of the realm, for
il is more than likely that he has in
part or in whole paid his own way
through college. If he has done this.
then 50 much the more credit il his
q il 20 fItufH more NdIidDlt ann
the education he has gained. Possibly,
cnite likely in fact, he has not i'm
proved all his Undergraduate oppor-
tunitiee az he will wish in years L"
come be had improved them. Per-
maps the translation Of his diploma
would be to him an impossible task
Yet he has gained much during these
wears which money cannot measure
ana which he will prize for years to
come more than anything that Is
gained from libraries and laboratories.
How fun he is of hope and courage
and confidence; youth is bounding in
his veins and az he looks out upon the
world nothing seems impossible but
failure He stands on PiSgahs height
and before him lies the promised land.
What golden fields there are for him
to harvest what sun kissed heights to
he attained what flower burdered
pathways to be Travelled, Whether he
gathers the rich harvest. climb those
distant hills and walks those path
ways. OF whether he finds only thistlcs
ana tlInrn4 in the fields before him and
makes his way into the dark valley
upon himself upon himself in part
and upon many other things Of which
he now knows nothing.
Iiut whatever the future holds for
him. today il his and there are no
summer Sky. 1t would be heartIcsS
and thnnkless task to di%iIlu%i"niZe
him. to tell him Of the burdens he must
bear and the battles he must fight
along hfe's highway. to show him how
much there is yet for him to learn
and how much he must proceed to I'M
learn. Let us therefore hail him and
wish him GodsSerd. Let MS bid him
remember that the world expects more
of him because he is a college man.
ana that his Alma Mater will ever
watch him with tender love and eX-
pert him to be a worthy son.
Whether he makes Il success or a
failure Of life. depends. az we have
said. upon himself ana upon many
other things. but he will he more likely
to succeed and less likely to fail from
having Acollege education, with all the
a>suci;. M ana inspirations which
such an experience involves. And
whatever happens to him i'll III" years
t. come il is SAT" to assume that he
allow the busy years to crowd his
Alma Mater out of his heart. Never
vet have we seen Il college gradual"
who WAS sorry he went To college. while
every day We meet men whose con-
staEt regret is that they did not 60 t"
college. Perhaps the college gradu-
ate will not get rich any faster. In
deed the chances probably are that h"
will not get rich So fast. but he Will
have many precious things that money
cannot buy and in a thousand respects
he envied by the n-College man VIII"
has gathered a larger share of this
worlds goods.
Charles Dana Gibson is back from a
year in Europe and loses no time in