The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1922-05-26
Gonernor McMillin's Address.


The address made by ExGoy
Benton McMillin to the City Higl
School graduating class last Thurs
day night was along the lines appro
pirate to such occasions, however oil
this occasion considerably enlarged
and augmented. Mr.. McMillin spok
only once with reference to politica
affairs. and that was as Governo
he was particularly friend of edu
cation, further.ng the interests o
the people of Tennessee by forcing
the enactment of the uniform tex
book law.
The remainder of the speech was
on the value of good books. Com
mencement is term that is little I'M
derstood until the passing of years
finds us taking retrospective view
of life. We look hack on what uce
we have made of the time, We real
ize then the Importance OF useful
books or the misfortune in the lack
of these things.
Mr.. McMillin proceeded then with
his rcview of suitable library. First
is the Bible, the greatest book ever
written, compared with which all
other works pale into the common
place. In proverbs we have almost
a universal education, as well as the
inspiration which reveals the glories
of life everlasting. No education is
complete without the Bible and no
life reaches its zenith without God.
The prophecies, the proverbs, the
revelations and the gospel dispense
lions are all an infinite conception
in prose while the Psalms of David
are poems supreme. The greatest
logician of any age was Paul and his
life and works are more vital and in
teresting to the human race than all
other works outside of the Bible COM
bined.
Mr.. McMillin seemed to be espe-
cially familiar with the scriptures.
He is also student of other litera-
ture, but in his advice concerning
English literature The Commercial
would like to make a few sugges-
tions. No doubt this class considered
it a privilege to have so great man
as the speaker on this occasion to
recommend course of study and re-
view. Therefore with the man, time
and the place it is important that the
proper recommendations and the
proper impressions be made.
In the first place Mr.. McMilliu
eulogized the works of Shakespeare,
and in this he was undoubtedly cor
rect. But as great actor once said
of a world-famed actress, Cali is not
pure gold'
If Lord Bacon is not the author of
Shakespeare works and Shakespeare
is himself the author, then we must
bear in mind the fact that Shake
speare was strolling actor, so the
commentators say, and that while he
wrote imperishable and prophetic
drama and verse he was of that class
whose moral standards are not ebove
criticism. This is not said to dis
courage the reading of Shakespeare,
but to point out the fact to discrim-
mating minds. 1t should not have
moved US to make this suggestion but
for the fact that Mr.. McMillil was
rather severe in the criticism of Dick
ems. True Dickens was profusely ag-
gressive in his references to America
after his first visit to this country.
In Martin Chuzzlewit he has Martin
and Mark Tapley marooned in a mo-
rass of swamp, which he sarcastically
refers to as the Eden of America,
while these visitors upon our shores
pass thru the stages of swamp fever.
ASdluy DlCh6uO IlulSulS0 IhC OoiAJ
New Yorker as provincial and a
raw product of nature. But in after
years he humbly apologies. He is
also censured for his conduct towards
his wife, but how much of this is
more than gossip none will ever real
ly know. If we are to take. these
things seriously then Lord Tennyson |
should be excoriated for an ugly tenn
per. 1t is said that Lord Tennyson
was so rude to a visitor of the COM
non ranks as to ask him to leave
lis house on the asseveration that
here was nothing in common be-
.ween them.
Mr.. McMillin's favorite poet,
Burns, was in his early youth free