The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-06-04
Commencement Exercises at
Southern University
Under Full Sway
GRAFTON BY
MIR. DEGRAFFENREID
Orators Contest for Literary Socie.
ties Medal Feature of TUESDAYS
Exercises-Two Contest for
the L. ID. c. Medal
by ANNIE E. sLoLLENwERcK

by ANNIE E. SLOLLENwERCK
Greensboro, June Especial. 1.-The
days exercises at the Southern uni
Vers1ty commencement were featured by
the oratorical contest for the literary
societies medal, participated in by c.
A. Haskew of Whatley in "The Triumph
of Democracy" r. r. Morris, Brewton,
on "The Side Immigration, "Mabry f.
Dozier, of Chance. on Political Inde-
pendence the Hope of the Nation" and
w. M. Pichard of Montgomery on
ALIENS in America" All the young
men acquitted themselves well.
The Rev. ]. Shelby Chadwick of the
class of 1891, assistant editor of the
Nashville Christian Advocate delivered
an able and inspiring address on THE
Right of the Strong" before the men,
bers of the Belle Letters and Clairio-
sophie societies this morning in the col
lege chapel. He spoke as follows:
we should count ourselves fortunate
that we live at a time when of all other
periods in the worlds history emphasis
Is given to the word rights AS we have
added to our material wealth we have
peeh aple, also, to better understand our
measure at least, that our increased pros
perity has not made us better able to
stand alone, but it has rather emphasized
the fact that as individuals, and even as
nations, we are members one of another
This fact of mutual dependence is rec
ognlzed by the statesman and diplomat
who must deal with problems of interna-
tional relations, as well as by the teacher
of ethics who would bring to the individ-
conscience 10 bat
liveth to himself. Our age has come to a
better understanding and to a more gen.
eral acceptance of the fact that all that
need aid have the right to ask it from
their fellow mortals, and no one who
holds the power of granting can refuse
without guilt. The claims of the weak
we are not forgetting as we add to the
measure of our strength.
Il rejoice in the growth of this idea
for in its development it has made for
the betterment of humanity. | am not in
any sense taking issue with it in what /
shall say concerning the rights of the
strong for humanity's progress has been
possible only as the strong have asserted
their rights as they have demanded that
the world move forward.
With the primitive man 1t was the
strength of brute force that asserted it's
right. He who was strongest of arm
and fieetest of limb brought into subjec-
tlon those who We're weak. We call it
brute force, and yet, after ALL was it
not best for the race that this might of
muscle was thus used? In the assertion
by the strong of their right to subdue
and to rule the weak came to the race its
awakening to the necessity of adding to
the little strength that was in the re-
sources of the physical man. The world
about him was drawn upon for mans pro-
lection and his comfort, and henceforth
m Of cfr |, in. !,
more than muscle and f1eetness of limb
"One fails to read Alright our history
who does not see clearly that the Creator
intended our land for the possession of
the strong to a people who had right to
! its possessions in that they would use
rightly its wealth and would lay the foun-
datlons of a great nation. He gave 1t
over to a weak people. As one has said
He for centuries guarded the shores of
this new land, keeping back those of the
Latin race whose day of strength was
wellnigh spent. To those sturdy sons of
strength was given a land rich in It's re-
sources, but which needed such as they
to bring into service the wealth which
had remained unused throughout the CEN
turies. They proved their right to possess
that wealth.
But we turn from the material.to those
things which have counted more in the
worlds real progress, the gaining of civil
and religious liberty, the leading of a race
out of its bondage of superstition, and we
see that every step forward has been
taken as the strong have asserted their
rights, as they have demanded for them
selves and their age that the world move
forward. 1t is true that the mighty forces
back of these forward movements have
not usually been visible, and hence it has
not been easy oftentimes to rightly judge
who were the strong. The race has halted
otyair, nd al in t- nr6 arnl he.
cause either the strong did not know their
strength or amidst the confusion and
clamor of the mob that cried out against
progress, they chose to give over for a
time the struggle.
Men called to lead their fellows for
ward have come into consciousness of
their strength. and have demanded their
rights as against the oppression of polit-
ioal tyranny, superstition or bigotry. They
were conscious of their strength even
while the multitudes scoffed, doubted and
reviled. One has said saint is a man
with convictions who has been dead 10C
| years; canonized now, cannonaded then.
Let us not forget that we have en-
| tered into the inheritance of these strong
| men of the past, that because they were
strong and counted not the cost of the
struggle, nor lost heart in. their hours of
| loneliness, we can see more clearly the
1 way.
ITO my mind we have no richer inheri-
| tance than in the memory of the heroism
of those men who laid down their arms at
| Appomatox, and who, know that the voice
of the south in the nations councils was
practically silenced, nevertheless took up
with courage the task of rebuilding their
section as part of the union of states.
| Had they not been men of strength the
| battle would have been given over; but
meeting unfnchingly the issues upon the
settlement Of which our very civilization
rested, they made possible for their chill
dren the coming of this better day. They
perhaps expected not to see. within less
! than half a century after the close of the
| civil war, a son of the state of Washing