Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1920-02-05
The Early Days of Shepherd College.
No. 5.

graduate from Shepherd College.
Hence ! was permitted TO be an in
terested observer Of the ceremonies at
tending the sending forth of the first
normal graduates of the college They
were few, as / remember, but | recall
the words of Prof. McMurran, who,
with much pathos in his voice, said:
"You are our first, and peculiar in
terest and affection attaches to you
for that reason"
| am inclined 10 indulge myself in
a "Reminiscences, in this connection, of
an old-time commencement exercise of
the college. The student body gather
ed in the college yard in front Of what
is now the old building. You could
tel the ladies of the graduating class
by certain touch" that was almost
bridish in their dresses. However
we'll groomed the boys of the class
were, there was a look of pre-occupa-
ton about them that choked undue
hilarity. One boy would whisper to
the other: "How is your pulse?" The
reason for this apparent unconcern on
the part of the ladies, and the alb
stracted look of the boys, was not diff
| ficult to explain. The girls had their
essays well in hand and were to read
them. But the boys must speak
their pieces memOritor. When a boy
is to make his first public speech be-
fore a crowded church, in which
audience sit his relatives and friends,
and triumph or ignominous failure
hang in the balance, that boy has little
! appetite for his supper. He does not
incline to over-much conversation an
hour before he is to appear for execu-
ton. III you address some words TO
him he starts with look of one arous-
ing from sleep. The poof fellow has
been saying his speech over for the
\ ninety ninth time that afternoon All.
the ecstatic agony of the hour! Moth
ing does a boy so much good at such
times as a series of nervous yawns.
But the signal. to move has been
given. With two or three strides that
measure the entire length of the COL
lege yard, Prof. McMurran has placed
himself at the head of the column, and
the graduating class is Immediately
behind him. The student body follow,
laughing and lighthearted At the
church there is crowd waiting to see
the graduating class enter as well as
the students behind them. Criswell's
Cornet Band is in place with such
music as "Safe in the Arms of Jesus,"
set 10 dance time. No commencement
exercise would have been complee
without that band, just as no movie of
the present day would be worth
nickel without some music. We reach
the church door, and the ushers, all
oeoadgeo with rosettes of MANY
colors, throw wide open the doors and
under the gaze of mvriads (?l of ewes
we lille slowly up the church aisle.
No bride moving up the church aisle
10 the strains of the wedding march
could possibly feel more the import
ance OF the occasion than we did at
that moment. Once on the rostrum.
there is silence, for PRAYER from one
OF the town pastors is to be made
Inc pastors were very sympathetic
class had spoken out what they thought
they would have said "Tf ever need
ed prayers | do now" The PRAYER
is over, and after a few brief words
from Prof. McMurran the first victim
is called. He or she had at least one
advantage. When the agony was over
ms person had a sane mind and suf-
hciently quiet nerves to eniov the rest
of the exercise. But the awfulness OF
the moment when the music ceases
|, and your own name is heard You
must step forth, though you wonder
If you will totter or whether your
voice will actually be audible. AT
first your voice sounds "squeaky' to
; YOU, ard your ears seemed stopped
un' then you get YOUR bearings a lit
ue' When the awful sense comes over
you that YOU have forgotten how the
next paragraph of YOUR speech runs
.. And to have one those indescribabIe
pauses befall you, when the orator for
gers what TO say and the audience in
GREATNESS waiting agonizes in svrnpa-
, my is the rock that must be avoided
or all Things had seen an instance
or two OF this and thought, 20 that
some one would onlv saw something
TO relieve the tension" think in
Snc' moment the experience OF
Roosevelts early ATTEMPTS az memor.
Ifor speech making might be prefer
ahle to complete silence. When
roosevelt, it is said, was as school
NoV repeating the well-known lines:
~ ~, m T1,1i in his guarded tent,
wv, rir' '7% dreaming of the hour,
"'e" ''re"''' hcr kne" in S"nn't1uce bent"
he got as far Greece her knee" and
could 60 TO further, when one bow
shouted: Grease her knee again,
''ddv' and maybe she'll 90" | am
sure good laugh would have helped
j out manv boy and would have Civ
en- me audience the relief of express
sion
KIN the speech is ended and the
Cornet Band breaks forth with hrase
D applause, while the audience in. shall
we saw relief. goes wild with various
! Signs of appreciation. In the mean
time flowers are brought I'D TO the
roStrum and laid tenderlv at the feet
OF the heroine or hero. II is the hour
ut hours for that bow or eirl. have
! walked beneath the trees of the Van
oerbllt campus on moon Lii niphts a.,