Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1921-01-06
DR.. J. NJ. Ranson's Shepherd College
Speeches.
BY !. o. Knott.

Upon arriving home from a bong
Chautauqua tour in the South, read
of the recent death Of my college chum.
DIR. J. NJ Ransom, OF Charles Town
dashed of hurriedly few lines as
my heart dictated and sent the same to
the Charles Town Advocate. Since
the n have had two beautiful letters
from relatives of DR.. Ransom. one from
his sister-.n-law and one from his
daughter. Inc daughter inclosed to me
some of the speeches which DR.. RAN
son made at the various alumni meet
ings at Shepherd College. She had
no idea of the use | am now going to
make of those speeches. But. as they
have the decided flavor of other "a
about them and as DR.. Ransom, who
was one of the most popular boys of
the alumni of the college, breathes in
these speeches SO much OF his spirit, |
feel sure host of readers of the Reg
lister will be glad for the excerpts
make from the manuscript that lie be-
fore me, written in the well-known
handwriting of our beloved friend.
Two of these manuscripts embody
the short speeches made by DR.. Ransom
at two distinct alumni dinners. Prob
ably they were written out after he
had delivered them, for they seem TO
have been largely impromptu in style
\ One OF these after speeches
contains quite a characteristic para
graph: 81 find every year about this
time that my thoughts turned to dear
old Shepherd College and the days Of
long ago; and somehow | can't help
coming back to these alumni occasions
to mingle once more with the old boys
and-the young ladies. You can plain
! ly see that these old fellows are getting
thin and gray on the tops of their
heads, and wobbly about the knees
but as true fellows and good friends
they can't be beat. It's great
pleasure, however, to find the ladies
; Just as young and nice as they used
TO be, and we all know that they will
never be anything else until they be-
, come angels late on"
: can see Jim's mouth twitch with
that well-known smile as he read the
latter section of this excerpt. And he
was no hatterer, either. A man need
not obey King Edward vi, and Gle
like gentleman" in order to be a
gentleman. But. to the real gentle
man, of the Jim Ransom type, such
terms as "old maidls," "old women
or references to gray hairs of lady
school-mates, have no place. In fact
| am sure that the speech, called Mem
cries." AMI delivered con the evening
OF June II, 1913" was perfectly sim
cerc sentiment
Another alumni speech, having no
date, but locatable because of what
1t says, contains sentiment of another
sort. 1t is this: "One of the greatest
attractions that in years gone by drew
us always in This direction, has been
removed. But O how manv sweet
memories point us onward and upward
as they cluster around the vacant
chair OF our beloved Professor McMur-
ran, the founder of this college the
father in God of his old bows and girls
10 whom he gave his life's best work
ana who all through his useful and
noble life was such an essential mart
of this community"
All of those who knew DR.. linn Ran
son can hear the "husk" in his voice nc
ne read or spoke these words. can
not help wondering how man. NOT
an expert in speech making, could have
gwen utterance TO a sentiment so
exactly expressive of and so perfectly
IN alignment with, the truth concern.
ing Professor McMurran. There is No
explanation except that heart such "a
DR.. Ransom possessed took control of
MS pen and tongue and dictated.
The speech in which, however I
was most interested was his "Historv
of the Glass Of TO" delivered 81 late
as June II. 1916, "a. 8 O'Clock in the
evening This class history shows
great pains in gathering material. and
is very tender in its references to class
mates. did not know of much that
this manuscript tells me. 1t speaks of
the dead as Hattie Saunders. Bette
M. Morgan, Julia M. Rentch, RAN
dolph J. Strder, Elyett B. Pitsnople
Horace c. Osbourn, and C. Por,
Morrison. The sweet and beautiful
Hattie Saunders was the first to die.
having survived her graduation but tun