The Neshoba Democrat. (Philadelphia, Miss.) 1881-current, 1922-06-08

idcuIty hnu Alumni solve our athlet-
ic problems together. / think it
mighty poor spirit on the part OF
any alumnus that expresses itself IN
the words; II shall never pay my
dues In the Association, nor play
part In it's deliberations until A.
q NJ. hasa winning team but, after
all, there Ia evident dlssa tisfaction
from within and without over our
athletics. and the whims OF a few sen.
sitive individuals create sentiment,
and we have to contend with it.
Students. professors and Alumni,
alike. let us work together for School
and State, and II we would have en-
thusiasm for Mississippi let us drink
freely OF her past. Sir William Row
land.
Early in the last century Mississip-
pi was rising to prominence and pow
Ter. On his plantation, near Natchez,
Sir William Dunbar anticipated the
extraction Of oil from cotton seed
nifty years before it was done COM
mercially. Mississippi has to her
eternal credit that she established
the first state college for women.
General Kinds and hts dragons did
noble work at New Orleans. Jeff
Davis and his countrymen were the
heroes of Monterey and Beuna Vista.
Quitman placed the STARS and
stripes" over the capitol of Old Mex
leo, and we played a leading role in
the winning of the great Southwest.
Sargent S. Prentiss, matchless, in
&C mpara BILE, Oh the stump and at the
forum, charmed speilbound multi
tudes from Maine to Mississippi. All!
Those were stirring days for us. We
hear again the press of the world
congratulating Robt. Walker, Secre-
tary OF the Treasury under Polk, on
his tariff reports. We hear Sharkey
refusing cabinet positions under
Fillmore and Taylor, and recall that
Jacob Thompson. Jefferson Davis,
and some time later, L. @. g. Lamar
served as cabinet members to as
many presidents. We recall that
the Southern Convention was called
at Nashville by Mississippi, and
presided over by Mississippian, and
that when the States of the South
seeded from the Uhion our heroic.
but much maligned Jefferson Davis
was chosen to preside over their
destinies.
Before fratricidal strife tore us
asunder in the COS our sons stood
high at home and abroad. Without
Civil War Mississippi would be
holding her own today with her sis
ter states, and had she never seen a
slave nor boil of cotton diversifica-
ton would have made her the richest
rural empire in the world: For fifty
years we have been passing through
period of arrested development.
"Lulled by the languor of the land
OF the locust" Mississippi awaits to-
day but the clarion call of her dream.
ers and builders. She awaits some
George or Walthall to lead her from
the mud and mire of partisanship to
the golden pinnacled heights of civic
righteousness. Factioualism. dragon
like, crushes the spirit of today and
our hopes for tomorrow. Pulpit,
press and politician-all who knock
help to feed it.
Thankful should we be that our
people are siekening of factionalism.
We have less of it, and long before
the consolidated high school shall
have worked its happy transforma-
tion Mississippians will cease futile
fight to dream and build. Fraternal-
Ism will then take the place of fac
tionalism in Mississippi and her
sons will prosper.
realize. my friends, that / am
playing on a newkey, but enthusiasm
Is a catching tune, and / believe in
mass psychology. Let us, therefore.
dedicate this hour, our time and our
talent to building and boosting Mis-
sissippi. that her disciples Of discon-
tent may be forever exterminated,
and that her propagandists OF pessim-
ism may be converted to the new vis-
ion, and that we may all be baptized
with the spirit Of the SOS. Let this
Alumni Association, aud God bless
her--our Alma Mater--this glorious,
enterprising institution, work hand
In hand with other dreamers and
builders for the promotion II great
eI State, land recreate from dust
the dream the knockers would have
slain" And tomorrow will carry US
ON the wings OF promise to some diz-
ny height from which We may see
the infinite possibilities of today un-
folding.
Faithful to our Gollege. faithful to
our fraternity, faithful to Mississip-
lpi. let us transform the State within
tsad "A duaAda Van u rs3 I tsnwn f.sfeE -.