The coastland times., 1952-03-28
By ALBERT COATES
Director of the Institute of
Government


of your spokesman, do not see
how l can give a convincing dem
onstration of the humility which
should be expected of one who has
received the o. Max Gardner a.
ward-until l realize you are be-
slowing it on me not as an indivi-
dual but as a symbol of the 1nsti-
tute of Government. In that spirit
l accept it.
l accept it in the name of half
dozen men who backed me with
their vision and their judgement
and gave the sum and substance to
a dream.
l accept it in the name of pio-
neering colleagues from Institute
beginnings to this hour-men "who
have toiled and thought and
wrought with me, who ever with
frolic welcome took the thunder
and the sunshine, and opposed
free hearts, free foreheads" to all
the hazards of the way.
l accept it in the name of men
of the University Administration
who helped to bring the Institute
of Government within the frame
work of the University of North
Carolina.
l accept it in the name of thous-
ands of public officials in city
halls, county courthouses, an d
state departments, who have sus-
tanned me through the trials and
tribulations of the years; for if /
have been privileged to draw the
outlines of the Institute of Govern
ment, they have filled in its fea-
lures and breathed into them the
breath of life.
l accept it in the name of the
founder of this award, who on
more than one occasion threw the
full weight and power of his office
behind the work which has led me
to this point in time and space,
and who is represented in this
gathering by the woman who was
his inspiration, the sons who were
his pride, and the partner who was
his ever present help in time of
trouble.
accept it on the common law
theory that man and wife are one
and the man is the one. / am sure
this was the understanding of the
givers of this good and perfect
gift; and in that understanding /
share the credit with the distaff
side and commit the cash in toto
to her keeping. For if a grateful
heart is privileged to miss a beat
in the catching of the breath which
comes with this award, and in that
breathless moment / confess this
recognition satisfies human
longing for the only sort of fame
1 want, then in a spirit that vaunt-
eth not itself, is not puffed up, and
would not behave itself unseemly,
l will put my feeling in its proper
setting and clothe it with poets
words:
20 fame! If l e'er took delight in
thy praises,
Twas less for the sake Of thy
high-sounding phrases,
Than to see the bright eyes of the
dear one discover
She thought that l was not un-
worthy to love her.
IThere chiefly l sought thee, there
only found thee;
Her glance was the best of the
rays that surround thee;
When it sparkled DER aught that
was bright in my story,
l knew it was love, and ! felt it
was glory"
So much has been promised in
the name of the Institute of Gov
ernment, and so much of what has
been promised remains to be done,
that / have no illusions we have
as yet "arrived"-much less that
we have arrived at point where
we can rest on restless oars in cur
rents which might soon recapture
even those advances we have made.
/ am sure the touch on the shoul-
der you are giving me this evening
is freighted with a double mean
ihg-a nod of approval for the
start that has been made and a
wave of the hand to keep on go
ing; an expression of faith which
is the Substance of things hoped
for and the evidence of things un-
seen."
If ! may take you to my fireside
for a moment, can show you how
completely l accept it in that
spirit. On an evening not long ago
my wife and / were listening to q
recording of historic voices in
great moments of our time. When
the recording ended we got out
/ pencil and paper and listed other
voices recorded in great moments
in the history of this University
We listed: the unknown speaker
on the floor of the Convention al
4 TRHN :. s~.k. ~ a