The Washington bee., 1908-06-13

pIOhI III instruction ana inspiration
for thought and action to everyone
present.
There were many features of more
than ordinary moment, and none lis
tened but to be deeply impressed with
the advancement made by the race in
less than half a century, and none
was present who did not appreciate
the excellency of the execution of
the various numbers and the splendid
magnitude of the training and in
struction that had been given at the
school.
"A crowded hall saw the class ush-
cred in, together with a number of
other young men and young ladies,
members of the school, and the pro-
gram opened with the chorus ''The
Voice of the Woods" sung only as
souls can sing.
Hon. John c. Dancy, of Washing
ton, D. C., Recorder of Deeds for
the District of Columbia, an eminent
member of his race, delivered the
commencement address having for
his subject Some Things That Make
for Greatness"
DR.. Dancy is an orator of fine
ability and a thinker of profound
mind, as we'll as historian of vast
knowledge, all of which he freely
used to the edi6catiOn and inStruc-
ton of his audience on this occasion.
The address was replete with learn
ing, eloquence, wit and humor, which
entertained, instructed and elevated
his auditors.
Space forbids a full report of the
text of his address, but even a brief
review of it convinces every reader
that it was a masterpiece and all
those who did not have the pleasure
of hearing it missed something it
would have been we'll worth their
while to hear, something those who
did hear it are glad they did not
miss hearing.
After congratualting the class up
on the excellency of its part of the
exercises and expressing great pleas
ure over his privilege to visit such
thriving inland city as Clarksburg,
DR.. Dancy discussed ably the spirit
to do things as one of the essentials
to obtain success, and with this must
be pluck, determination, and energy
i'll every line undertaken, how hum
bic or how high Grasping oppor-
tunities when they first are seen was
advised by him, as opportunities tax
eli advantage of produce greater re-
suits. He cleverly illustrated this by
the allusion to the founder of Clarks-
burg, who saw in the distant past an
opportunity to start a city such as
Clarksburg has become since, thru
the fact that others joined the fOun-
der and others joined them, and still
others them, and so on until the
present Another illustration was
the independent thought of Christie
pher Columbus when he started out
from the old world to find a new
route to the East Indies, and thereby
discovered a new continent with the
West Indies on it. Here he dis
cussed intellect and mems being
taught to think, the latter being an
essential to develop the former, and
made the broad declaration that in
dependent thinking in America had
made it the greatest world power
The inventions of the age, said he,
are all the result of independent
thinking, and as such men think the
world grows stronger and better.
DR.. Dancy dwelt upon punctuality,
perseverance, individuality, adapta-
bility, integrity, singleness of pur-
pose, responsibility and, with his own
race especially. the soul element as
essential to the greatness of life, and
these all had their smaller parts
which must be taken into considera-
ton and developed to make a perfect
and successful whole
The speaker then reviewed briefly,
but convincingly. the marvellous pro-
gress of his race in the last forty
years or a little over, at the begin
ming of which there were some who
said the race could not start up
ward. but who were now saying it
will never stop, and he held out great