Watauga Democrat. [volume] (Boone, Watauga County, N.C.) 1888-current, 1929-06-06
COMMENCEMENT
AT LEES
3Oth Annual Event Features An
nouncement that Junior College
Work is to be Projected at Be-
ginning of Another Season

Work is to be Projected at Be-
ginning of Another Season
-McRae Institute at Banner
Elk closed its thirtieth school year
Monday night, May 81, before rec
ord-breaking audience. The gradu-
ating class of twenty-five was the
largest in its history. The literary
address was delivered by one of the
former students, the Rev. J. P.
Proffitt of Maxwelton, w. Va, and
fit in his address to the graduating
class upheld to them the greatest
Book in the world. Young folks"
he said, your presence within these
sacred walls of learning, indicate tbs
fact that you are profoundly inter-
ested in books. After your school
Gays are over and your text books
have been laid aside, still, over the
pathway Of life, books will remain
as the sweetest friends and as brooks
by the travellers way. In order to
secure the greatest benefit and to
escape the deadly harm, it will be
necessary for you to use the wiSest
discretion in the selection of your
looks All kinds of books are pour
ing from the presses in increasing
number and are being broadcast over
the land. Select the good and cher
ish them, but spurn the bad and pass
them by. The greatest Book in the
world is the Bible.
Every book has an anthor," he
continued. 'It has the greatest au
thor The value of the book is de-
termined by the kind of author. To
know the author makes one love the
book. Human authors are limited,
finite and imperfect, but the Author
Of this Book is unlimited, infinite
and perfect.
This Book has the greatest of all
stories, the story of the Father. the
story of man, his origin, his fali and
his salvation. The story of eternity,
9 heaven and hell. We lay all
other books aside, but this Book
never grows old.
"This Book that I uphold to you
is the greatest of all literature. 1t
is the literary gem Of the word. 1t
is marked by elevation, vigor, catho-
licity Of thought, by purity and
grace of style and artistic construc
ton. 1t has prose and poetry, ro-
nance and adventure, politics and
history. Professor Moulton 81 the
University of Chicago has said that
q man could read Deuteronomy and
then from the writings of Demos
themes, only to come to the conclu
sion every time that the Bible has
no equal. Shakespeare, Bacon,
Tennyson and numbers of other
writers pay tribute to this, the great
est of all Books. Daniel Webster's
eloquence came from the Bible
which he heard from his mothers
knee The late Dr. w. w. Moore of
Union Seminary, Richmond, Va,
who was such devoted friend of
this institution and here so fre-
quently, when asked from what
source came his use of the English
language, 6dlu, IL IIOIil any oHS
source the English Bible" No edu-
cation is complete without a knowl
edge of the literature of the Bible.
at has the greatest popularity. 1t
is written in more different langu-
ages than any other book. 1t is read
by more people than any other book.
1t is surpassed by no other book in
influence on the individual, the
home, society and on the world. 1t
has held this place for three thou
sand years amid storm and strife"
Mr.. Profits closing remarks to
the young people were, "Own the
Bible, know the Bible, live the Bible,
the greatest of all Books"
At the close of the program an
rouncement was made to the effect
open a junior college. Mr.. Edgar
Tufts announced that, "For a long
time it has been the expectation of
Lees-M -McRae to extend its program
to that of junior college work. Only
this time, beginning next Septem-
Der, has the management felt justl-
fled in projecting this program. This
is made possible by friends through
whose generosity the present plant
and equipment is in evidence today.
1t is the expectation of the college
to fulfill the requirements for stan
dardizing and we are sure that all
of you who have been students this
year, friends and parents, will re-
joice that this new step is being