The Big Sandy news. [volume] (Louisa, Ky.) 1885-1929, 1922-09-22
FOUNDERS DAY
AT MAYO COLLEGE
BY PROF. W. 3. WARD,
Paintsville, kentucky

anxiety, ana with as mucn nope ana
i love as was this one, Yet the princi-
pal actor OF this event seems to have
been little different in many ways
from the principal actors in most Of
the other cases OF that day and gem
/ Grafton. These strange children OF the
cabin always keep US guessing. When
a baby boy safely weathers nativity
we are left to wonder what phase OF
History he will write? VIII humanity
smile or shudder because OF him? VIII
his name be perpetuated In honor or
forgotten in infamy? Win he he an as
set or a liability both TO society and
/ to his family name? These are the
questions that each boy must and
\ does answer. John c. c. Mayo has
| answered them to the satisfaction of
4 his fellow men. That is why we have
| a Founders Day in Paintsville ON the
/ 9Th day OF each September. II Is sig
nihcant in more ways than one. but
! the immediate one is because OF the
/ part he took in the establishing of the
! old Sandy Valley Seminary--now the
/ John C. C. Mayo College, and because
OF the general pride he had In his
! town and community. He was a mon
/ ey maker, but he was also money
spender. The Mayo Memorial church
the Mayo mansion and grounds his
office building, the college. the dormi
tory and many other buildings and
enterprises are monuments to his
name and memory. All this is because
/ in early youth and manhood he caught
vision OF the possibility of the East
| learned geology, finance and psychol-
ogy. He read lots, thought more and
/ logy. He read lots. thought more and
kept his mouth shut till the right time,
/ He fought poverty, the distrust OF
| friends and kinsmen and the tongue
of calumny in his efforts to achieve
| his purpose. Days were dark and
words OF encouragement few and far
between. Yet this lonely child OF the
cabin fought on. disappointment only
| bloomed in fresh courage. A returned
or protested check, a refusal on the
| part of neighbors for credit did not
break his heart however embarrassing
they may have been to him. He could
take such lemons home with him at
night and convert them into lemonade
before bed time. He could change add
/ versity into success. His greatest sue
I cess was In holding to his purpose re-
0
\ be so with any man.
Little men think little thots and are
always in fight with themselves be-
cause they are continually skinning
their elbows on their own horizons.
The diameter OF their circle OF vision
I is so short that il makes them near
sighted. Not so with John C. c. Mayo.
/ While most of US were sitting around
Z Oh tnh
Z natured yarns. or carrying on a heat
ed discussion as to the matter OF fall
! ing from grace. or the proper mode OF
I baptism. or II may be high and low
I tariff. Jno. C. c. Mayo was at college
\ delving into the mysteries OF science
and especially that of Geology. In that
study is where he discovered the great
store house OF wealth locked up here
/ in these mighty pyramids-our own
beloved hills. Likewise did LEY Brown
I ing, while a student in the University
Of Kentucky discover the great riches
| in oil deposits in johnson and Magof-
/ fin counties. Geology led him to
wealth along in the good old way OF
getting his elbows out of his horizon.
God Almighty gave us physical eyes
with which to find our way over the
face of the earth. He also gave US
subjective eyes with which TO delve
into His hidden glories and wealth
which are unspeakable. Only a few
ever open these soul-eyes. John c.. C.
Mayo had poor physical eyes but
great soul eyes. He did not need glass
es for them. He was not OF the tribe
who have eyes and see not.
We chewed, argued. disputed and
quit where we began on matters OF
free grace or much or little water, and
tariff, but Mayo planned. leased: plan
ned borrowed; leased some more,
traded little; took more leases. In
terested men of money in his plans
and purposes. made and lost: took
long chances again with success and
with this he began to establish conf
dence in all the doubling Thomases OF
the whole valley.
Things went easy now. Large capt.
tai became interested and he knew
how to obtain his share. He stepped
from obscurity to the large circles OF
finance. Political recognition co-or-
dinated its power and influence, SO,
Jno. c. G. Mayo. that little youngster
who raised so many question marks
in the minds OF friends kinsmen and
especially in the mind of his wonder
full father, Mr.. Thomas Mayo Just So
years ago, has answered many of them
TO the satisfaction of his fellow men
and has gone on to the silent halls of
death. there to await the fulfillment of
time in Gods own way As he sleeps
the centuries away in the cold en-
brace of the tomb il Is altogether fit
ting that the generation of his native
valley shall pause for one short hour
on the 10th of September of each year
to pay the passing tribute of, at least
a memory, to him who has meant SO
much to us all.
Far nobler the sword that is nicked
and worn,
Far fairer the flag that is grimy
and torn.
Than when to the battle fresh they
were borne.
He was tried and found true; he
stood the test;
Meath whirlwinds OF doubt, when
all the rest
Chrouched down and submitted. he
fought best.
There are wounds on His breast
that can never be healed,
There are gashes that bleed and may
not be sealed
But, wounded and gashed, he won
the field