St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1910-05-07
LOUISIANA PRESS ASSOCIATION Met WARM WTICOI


Of our institutions to totter and fall.
It is the public Press that digni-
fies and e1alts our people and causes
many who might wish to err te re-
frain, rather than expose themselves
Ito the search lights of our news
papers, who with unrelenting justice,
/ expose what is wrong and reward
what is right,
All praise to the Press Of the State
of Louisiana, as we'll as to our sister
States, and may it be that ID this the
| Goth century, the century Of ad-
Yanesd thought, the century Of the
greatest possibilities. that the good
the public Press has accomplished in
the past will be aeeentuated By the
good they are now accomplishing,
and will ever accomplish, until
through their noble efforts, such 3
transformation will take place ii the
aoral welfare Of our people that we
will feel that the millennium is near
at hand, and that through the good
Offices Of the Press We have become
almost sufficiently purified to ascend
to the very gates OF the skies.
Il was ID great measure though
the instrumentalities Of of citizen Of
0pelousas that the distinguished
honor Of having you here was brought
about. This citizen lis not with US
now. After a long and useful life.
spent in the harness of the Press,
with every energy bent on the bet
terment Of the country welfare; an
active participant in every move
tending to disseminate healthy senti-
ments; q man whose young life.
was given to the service Of his be-
love Southland, in defense Of the
lost cause when our country was pass
ing through the throes Of that fearful
CONFUSION Of q fierce fratricidal strife;
a man who living peacefully and nap
PLY il the bosom Of d devoted fam
ily, d kind father and a loving has-
band; while in the midst Of his use
fnlness, like q Cavalier intent on his
crusade against vice and wicked
ness, he was suddenly touched BY the
finger Of death and the grim ferry
man carried to the other shore, our
late lamented Leonce sandoz.
IA losing him. gentlemen, you have
lost useful man, an ornament to
your Association.
Fearless ii his conviction, brave
to fault, he carried IN his public
life those distinguished qualities that
always attract our admiration, and il
is with feelings of deepest regret
that we look around Us in vain to sac
tina once familiar face, which ifI
present to-day, would have taken
such delight il welcoming you to his
native city,
Let us say Of him, as We would of
all in whom we feel b just pride, may
he rest IN peace, and as the cycles Of
time roll along, may he and his dear
ones become reunited in a better
world, where the weary are at rest.
Gentlemen Of the Press, when I
look around me and see this assem-
blage of intellectual gians Of our
state, it gives me p ause in address
ing you, because with your WELL
tuned symphonies, you can easily
detect the slightest mistake that may
be made IN my utterances, and If /
am to be judged By your nice sense
Of grammatical precision and critical
observations, I fear I viii fall short
of measuring up to that standard Of
oratory that would have been ex-
peeted Of one in addressing such an
intellectual assembly, but / feel that
the milk Of human kindness is a pre-
dominating factor in your compost
tions and no matter how disappoint-
on you may be you will not say 50.
Gentlemen of the Press, We are
living in . wonderful age, the age Of
progress and development, the age
that is driving away the mists Of
superstition and fear, the age in
which great minds are accomplishing
great things.
We can quickly communicate with
each other, although distance widely
separates, the familiar voice Of d
friend ina far off city comes to you
over the telephone; the signal Of dis
tress is waited over the wireless from
some distressed vessel until the
passing through she air, is
received bY some other vessel who
comes quickly to the rescue, and
averts what otherwise might have
been q fearful disaster.
The remarkable discoveries, Of such
useful kind, that are being constantly
made, go to show that through some
agencies We are being impelled to
the accomplishment of d glorious
destiny.
There are many things for which +
we should be thankful; We live in q
lovely climate. We have a fertile soil, t
which yields Bountiful crops, ne have
brave men and noble women, and
there Is no reason Why We should not
be q contented and happy people.
Let Us unite ID a fond wish that +
you, gentlemen Of the Press, will
continue to doin the future as sou