Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1915-07-09
MeLAURIN TO THE EDITORS.
Introduction and Peroration to Great
Speech.

Introduction and Peroration to Grea,
Speech.
The Enquirer has not found it prac-
! ticable to print all Of Senator Nc
Laurin's Chick Springs speech, be-
, cause in one way or another most of
it has already appeared in these col
, umns; but what the speaker had to
| say to the editors personally, and his
beautiful peroration are we'll worth
reproduction:
Gentlemen of the Press Association:
I appreciate the invitation to ad-
dress the newspaper men of South
Carolina. l feel that 1t Is one Of the
most distinguished honors that has
ever come to me, because know that
1t is not the custom of the Press as
sociation to invite politicians on this
occasion, and l feel that the invitation
exlenueu 10 me Is an indIcalion that
tile newspaper men or SouLn Carolina
agree tnaC 1 nave, In some measure ~
IeasI, passeu III my career the stage
"a NieIS poiiLlcIan.
Il 1 nave ueen more than once stung
10 the quick ny your snatts or ngrt-
nins, UuL 1 nave never unuereSllmated
the reaI projection mat Ine press Is
~ the country, Ill exposing sham anu
uumUuggery, or destroying graft ana
corruption. IL Is your mission to
throw Iignt into the dark places ana
tell the people what lney ought 10
know.
/ nave learned the truth by expert
ence Oh the observation OF the great
/ {. Thaf hnSlllp nAWSDa-
pers are more to be dreaued tnan one
nunureu thousand bayonets.' Nopo-
leon 1ougnt lne 1reeuUm or the press
| because ne hau 10 hlgner ambition
Inan personal glory. he realized that
the freedom Oh the press and the llD-
ertles Oh the people must stand or Iall
together, that ever enIightenlng, al
ways cOntlrmlng truth and right, the
press coulu ultimately overthrow the
lnIgnty fabric his gigantic brain had
created, LOT he SAID TO one or his min
listers, Il must dazzle and astonlsh; II
/ were to give the liberty or the press,
my power could not less three Gays"
i How different the sentiments OF
Thomas JEFFERSON, who gave the world
a constitution based upon freedom and
equality. Jefferson said, Il would
ralner nve in a country with newspa-
pers without government, than in
country with a government, but with
out newspapers"
Gentlemen or the Press association,
you have tremendous power for veal
or woe. Your Is high calling.
thought builds civilizations. Through
your papers you drop the silent, invis-
lple thought into thousands Of minds
at the same moment, creating thought
and moulding sentiment.
| n oaPh nQv
adviser spiritual and material, keep
ing me in touch with world history as
1t is made, coloring and forming my
opinions and suptly controlling my
actions. Wendell Phillips said: THE
millions have no school, and almost
no pulpit, but the press. Not one man
in ten reads books, but every one of
us, except the helpless poor, poisons
himself every day with newspaper.
1t is parent, school, theatre, example,
counsellor, all in one. Let me make
the newspapers, and l care not who
makes the religion or the laws"
Dreams.
The south has it in her power, by
utilizing the vast commercial credit
incident to handling this great monop-
oily crop, to make herself the domi-
nant power in finance and civilization.
have been called dreamer, and l
wish that l were worthy to take my
place among the great dreamers of
this world. But the gift is not mine
to pierce the veil Of doubt and look
into the face Of unborn time. l only
stumble and falter in darkness, see
but dimly, and l feel that, so far as l
am concerned, l have done about all
that l can ever do in this great work,
and that others must soon take 1t up
and carry 1t forward to success. Her
bert Kaufman says, Dreams are ar
chitects of fact" If that be true then
What matters sneers and syni-
cism?
This world is made up for the most
of those who take but never give,
sharing in all, but sparing naught,
who cheer a grudge but grudge
cheer.
Wherefore the paths Of progress
have been sobs of blood dropped
from the broken hearts Of dreamers.
Makers of empires, they have
fought for higher things than empires,
and higher seats than thrones.
"Grief has only streaked their heads
with silver, but has never greyed their
hopes.
, "Dreamers are argonauts, the seek
ers of the priceless fleece of Truth
Through all the ages the voice of
, destiny calls them from the unbroken
vasts.
They dare uncharted seas, because
they are the makers of the chart.
: with only cloth of courage at the
/ mast and no compass save their
, dreams, they sail away undaunted for
the far blind shores
Their brains have wrought all hu-
man miracles; in place of stone their
5 spires stab the skies, and their golden
=, crosses kiss the sun.
"A great ship a few months ago,
stricken to death by an iceberg, shiv-
ers, trembles and groans. A cry for
help, that mystery the wireless, flashes
hundreds Of miles across the sea, be-
cause Marconia dreamed.
wings Of canvas now beat the air
and add the highways Of the eagle to
the human paths.
S lone man drew lightning with a
kite from the clouds, another sitting
by the fire sees the steady escape of
steam from the kettle. The dreams
of Franklin, Watts, Morse and hun
dreds Of others have girdled the globe
: with bands of steel and annihilated
space.
: "The phonograph, a disc Of wax, a
: square box, few springs, needle,
I and throat of brass-a God-hewn
, voice swells out, caught whole, clear
and sweet, to last for ages after the
singer has returned to the dust whence
: he came, and all because Edison
D dreamed.
What would this world be of fan
cy or of fact, were hands all with
which men had to build?
Your very homes are set upon the
land dreamer found, the pictures on
its walls are visions from a dreamer's
soul.
"They are the blazers Of the way
t the men who never wear doubts band
, aged on their eyes. Men who hold to
courage and to hope.
"Cowardice and lack of faith car
e alone keep us from the chosen goal.
y "If our hearts be strong and if we
dream enough, and dream hard
enough, we can tread the path where
e on the foot of man hath never gone
before.
walls crumble and empires fall;
the tidal wave sweeps in and tears a
K fo, ha