Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-06-16
SENATOR TILLMAN AT CLEMSON
Gives Graduating Class History of the
Agricultural College.

Agricultural SoiIe9os
The fifteenth commencement oi
Clemson college took place Tuesday
night, a class of eighty-seven being
presented with diplomas. The princi-
pal address was delivered by DR.. Jas
Patterson, president emeritus OF the
University of Missouri. The Norris
medal was presented to Cadet Albert
McMichael Salley of Orangeburg, the
presentation being by Senator Tillman,
who spoke in part as follows:
Ladies and Gentlemen: My phy-
sician has forbidden me to make q
speech, but l cannot on this occasion
refrain from expressing to you my
great pleasure at being here, and,
above all, to return to you thanks Tor
The heartiness of your welcome. !
shall not take long, but there are
some things l think ought to De
said, and If my strength holds out
will attempt to say them. Our hon
orable president of the board Of trus-
ices has spoken of Mr.. Clemson
dream and of his vision years ago. l
also had a dream and a vision, and
will tell YOU of IL. In 1885, twenty
six years ago, the 5th day OF next Au-
gust, l attended the joint meeting OF
the State Grange and State Agrtcul-
tural society, at BennettSVille, in MARI
boro county. I offered a series or res
olutions there, which were not adopt
ed by the meeting, but the speech l
made on this occasion met with sucn
a spontaneous outburst or approval
from the assembled farmers OF the
state that l felt sufficiently encourag-
ed to march forward along the line
had marked out.
That fall wrote a series Of let
ters for the News and Courier, Whlcn
was then the leading paper OF the
state and reached almost every farm
house. In these articles l advocated
a different education from that which
we had in the state. urged the
establishment Of separate col
lege, although the Bennettsvllle
resolution he'd only demanded that
the legislature establish a depart
ment in the University OF South
Carolina, which would be devoted
to agriculture and mechanical arts
and to which women would be
admitted. l have seen the time when
l would enjoy very much talking 10
you. l have addressed thousands ana
hundreds of thousands of my Fellow
citizens in this and in other states
and enjoyed the stimulus OF large
audience, but my mind Will not re-
spond to my will as 1t once did.
vision. / dreamed that there ought
TO be a college for boys and girls that
would equip them tor the battle or
life, a college where the studies would
be not only Latin and Greek and the
classics, but such as would prepare a
man to make his bread and butter. l
had a vision, not of this school, but
something like 1t; not of Winthrop,
but something like 1t. l did not dream
that this school would become what
il is or that Winthrop would become
what it is. l attended the commence
ment at Winthrop last week and saw
100 Young women, your sisters, your
sweethearts. Well, is there anything
more to say? They were there in full
force and were the prettiest things l
ever saw or ever expect to see again.
1t is not often that a man is allowed
10 live and to see his dreams come
true, and to my fellow members OF
the board Of trustees and my CO.
workers in the state is due my realiza-
ton of these dreams.
Now, young men, l had the good
sense and the good luck to find good
woman who was willing to hitch up
with me and who has trotted down
the road of life with me ever since. l
consider my marriage the greatest
piece of luck l ever had. l want to
say to you that II you will go and do
likewise, you ought to be successful,
for there is nothing in the world so
inspiring as the love Of pure wo-
man.
But l must proceed to do what l
came out here for, and If Mr.. Albert
McMichael Salley will come upon the
rostrum / will award to him the
medal Mr.. Salley, wish you would
nd laf
you look Now turn yourself around,
Tor there are some girls up yonder
who may wish to see you. In present.
ing you this medal / want to have a
few words to say about how you got
il and whence it came. Since l have
beer here my mind has been busy
thinking about the men who have
helped us plan and work for this col
lege. Three of them are no more. !
speak of the life trustees, Col. d. K
Norris, the Hon. r. E. Bowen and
capt. John Z. Bradley. These three
life trustees have ceased their labors
and have crossed that bourne to which
we are all Fastening.
You are not near enough to 1t to
realize or consider 1t as yet, but l will
soon be there and join these men. Col.
d. K. Norris was man who loved the
college and worked for it day and
night. While he was a trustee he
helped to plan and build it, and he as
much as any other trustee did his full
duty to bring about the results which
you see about you. If you will wear this
medal honorably, which l trust and
know you will, because 1 know the
county you are from and the breed to
which you belong; / know your fam
lily and people and the stock from
which you came; hope that you will
occupy the highest position To which
you may aspire.
And now, young friends, l want to
ask you to take home to your parents
my greetings, and say to them that
Clemson college has made you what
you are; that it has afforded you the
opportunity to develop your highest
powers. If, in after life, you will
climb to the top Of the ladder that is
all l ask. All men can't be senators
or governors, but every man can be a
good citizen, good husband and a good
father And If you will remember this
and let ii be an inspiration to you to
your future career, that you went to
Clemson; that you at least learned
how to obey orders. Although have
recollection of April FOOLS Day,
when some did not, you will always
be proud of the fact of your years at
Clemson, and if, in after life, when
you have climbed high, it can be said,
here goes a Clemson boy, a poor boy
that Clemson has helped to educate.
that is all / ask Of you. / ask Gods
blessing on you all"