Show i. i i. i 1 J JADD ADD ADDRESS ESS TO O GRADUATES ADUA TES f DELIVERED IN THE SALT LAKE THEATRE BY STATE SENATOR D. D O. O RIDEOUT JR OF DRAPER UTAH Mr Pr President I am gratified for this magnificent audience it speaks to me I hope of the growing interest in the public school system a system c which is the foundation of human liberty its graduates are shining stones stones in the walls of the Temple of Justice Permit me me to quote the words of Webster relative to the landing of the Pilgrims If If God will prosper us might have been een the prayer of the Pilgrim fathers we will he here e commence a work that shall live through the ages we will here plant the seeds of truest liberty of purest religion we will here rear a temple a more glorious edifice than Greece or Rome ever saw the edifice of constitutional American liberty Again quoting from Webster relative to the states of antiquity f When the stranger pauses at the gates of Athens what are the emotions which agitate his breast and suffuse his mind Recollections Recollections Recollections of her past splendor On Grecian battle battlefields fields was exhibited t. t Grecian valor Within her walls flourished poets and painters philosophers philosophers phil phil- 2 and orators architects and sculptors Pausing here at the close of a century of mighty achievements let us inquire as to the source of her greatness Was here located the union depot of a nation Was here distributed the mails of an empire J Did the iron clad warship guard her coast and unlock the ports of other nations Thither did Ed the swift revolving wheels of the locomotive come speeding Was the silence of the early morning broken by the call of the newsboy Through these streets did the the electric electric car then flash HI I Within these now silent chambers did the king receive wired news of victory from Grecian battle fields On yonder hight did the electric light keep silent vigil over the immortal city f History answers No j As the waters leap from their mountain source source and pour their limpid sparkling wealth into the valley below so the hidden fountain y of invention came down through the ages to the century and like an emanation from Heaven poured its wealth its wealth into the lap of i ithe the American people Old ocean has has' been spanned a thousand cities have sprung up as if by magic the whistle of the plough boy is heard on ten thousand hills and plains sea and air have been threaded by bythe bythe bythe the electric t talking wire and the continent has been banded together with belts of throbbing steel Human history affords no parallel to toto toto i ito to the United States in its growth and acquirement of material wealth and all the aids and appliances that go to fill the measure of a nations nation's r greatness But beyond and arid above all this this' is that which is far greater d and lasting worth the wonderful development of the intellect of the F human race Mind can measure gold but gold cannot cannot- measure mind the waning superstition l and ignorance the gradual uplifting of the ethical code of man to a higher plane and as a sequence the enthronement enthronement enthronement enthrone enthrone- ment of loftier ideals and a clear conception of Him who painted the flowers and gave the stars their silvery light r The potential force in this uplifting of man is the public school system Here the contending forces of society religious religious' and otherwise otherwise otherwise other other- wise wise are brought nearer together sit upon the same sam benches are subject sub suli- to the same influences partake of the same spirit and unconsciously unconsciously unconsciously man begins to think his own thoughts fanaticism gives way to reason and lifted above the clouds of ignorance and superstition superstition superstition super super- he II sees sees the image of God in all his fellow men men- alike and then and not until then he comprehends in all its beauty and simplicity simplicity simplicity sim sim- the doctrine of II the the brotherhood of man and the fatherhood of God Thirty years ago the doors of the University were closed to the negro two hundred years a ago o they were closed to the white woman one hundred years ago higher education for woman was not aged Napoleon once asked Madam De De' how he could best promote promote promote pro pro- i mote the interests of France II Educate the French mothers was the quick response She recognized the truth that the II mother is the effective and affectionate teacher of the human race That at the breast of the mother the world in embryo receives its r nourishment That at the knee of the mother the tongues of untold i iY Y millions learned to speak the name of Christ That at the side of the w i mother the infant feet of all the mighty concourse of the tile future take up the march that shall lead them up upward ard and onward to heights pure I ineffable the mountain speaks of advanced thought and civilization Graduating class today marks an epoch in your lives Your Alma Mater has wreathed for you a laurel it rests upon your brow as f you go forth to join the Alumni of this great institution The blessings blessings blessings bless bless- ings of teachers and associates are yours Go forth in all the confidence confidence confidence dence of youth to battle for an honorable place in the business or professional professional pro pro- r world Make your path straight Remember that honor and t. t truth and virtue and nobility of character are of far greater worth than gold Do not become discouraged at what may seem insurmountable difficulties After pleading in vain for ships and men at the various courts of Europe Columbus undaunted and undiscouraged knelt at atthe r the feet of the beautiful queen Isabella who poured the wealth of hert her t jewels into the lap of the Genoese adventurer Place a full valuation upon time Remember that moments lost cannot be regained One impetuous onslaught of of the Normans at Hastings changed the history r. r of the world Napoleons Napoleon's triumphant march from obscurity to the throne of France was a succession of quick and decisive steps Waterloo Waterloo Water Water- loo which lost to him a crown and consigned him to an ocean bound isle where the winds whispered to him of his beloved France and the waves waves reminded him of the thunders of Waterloo was the result of golden moments lost There is a le legend end of Rodger Bacon which teaches the importance of seizing the present moment We are told that with wizard skill he had succeeded in constructing a brazen head which by a certain contrivance was at some unknown time to speak and declare declare declare de de- of he the refreshment refreshment refreshment refresh refresh- clare important knowledge Weary waiting sought ment of sleep after calling his servant Miles to observe the head and andA A awaken him at once if it should speak so that he might not fail to in interrogate interrogate interrogate in- in it Shortly after he sank to sleep the head spoke these words Time is but the unfaithful guardian heeded th them m not Another half hour and again the head spoke Time was and yet another ha half f hour and again the head spoke Time is no more and straightway straight straight- way fell to the earth shivered to pieces with a terrible crash and strange t flashes of fire Miles the servant was half dead with fear His master awoke to behold the work of his cunning hands and the hopes he had thereupon shattered while the voice oice from the brazen throat echoed in his ears Time is no more He who stands upon the sands of the seashore watching the waves as they roll at his feet expecting one larger than its fellows upon which he may mount and upon and upon its crest be borne to some enchanted isle where knowledge can be gained without effort will be doomed to dis dis- appointment The creative miracle gave to man eyes but not the telescope ears but not music tongues but not l language brains but not under under- standing II God placed within the reach of man all these things he has but butto butto butto to reach forth to them and they are his Eternal and boundless are the fields of opportunity and man in a corresponding ratio to his efforts to grasp these opportunities Graduates your education is not finished We are all builders in these walls of time and our to-days to and yesterdays are the blocks with which we build II You will continue to add to the structure already commenced A mighty storehouse of literature awaits your perusal Among other books read the Bible Become familiar with its beautiful passages memorize them they will be of use to you in all the walks of life Read the Ten Commandments remember that they apply to you Read the sermon on the mount After you have read it once read it again If you are not inclined to be religious do not scoff at those who are If you are inclined to be religious follow your inclination but do not be fanatical Remember that the destiny of the world was controlled by religious intolerance during its darkest hours And today we see the flash of fire and hear the groans of the victim at the stake we see the haired grey-haired sire and the beautiful maiden upon the rack of torture and shudder to see fanaticism with pious eyes lifted toward heaven whilst bones are breaking and bodies are being torn asunder Read the Declaration of Independence claim every right by it guaranteed to you and then be ever ready to grant to others every right claimed by yourselves Take an active part in politics not a deceptive politician but as asan asan asan an American citizen who loves American institutions and is desirous of their perpetuity A solemn oath was administered to the young men of Athens at the age of sixteen that their first and greatest effort would be to make Athens greater because the they had lived in it Do not try to avoid the responsibility of American citizenship do not underestimate mate your influence the effect of the rock cast into the ocean is felt as far as the waters of the ocean extend The influence of communities communities ties of people is felt as far as a man is found You are a citizen of some community make that community better because you have lived in it Man is the noblest work of of- God In this connection let us re read d of the painter w who o desired to paint a picture and wanted for a model that which should appeal to him as being the most beautiful thing of all the creations of God He sought for his model in vain until one Sabbath morning whilst walking along the streets of a rural district he heard the joyous laugh of innocent childhood and saw coming to toward toward toward to- to ward him a bright beautiful boy followed closely by a woman whose every action betokened the lovi loving g mother At last he had found that for which he had sought so long He painted the picture Innocent t 5 childhood beautiful motherhood He hung it upon the wall of his studio and as he looked upon it he desired to paint another the antithesis antithesis antithesis anti anti- thesis of the first Again he sought for a model from village to village village village vil vil- lage from city to city from continent to continent he sought for years in vain until one day while passing along the streets in a large city he heard the report of a pistol saw the crowd hurrying to a certain place He followed and there saw upon the pavement a man with a bullet hole in his breast writhing in the agonies of death A Above hove him r with smoking weapon in hand with demon passions written upon his face stood the murderer Aga Again n he painted a picture and hung this thi one upon the opposite wall of his studio Surely this was the antithesis antithesis antithesis anti anti- thesis of the first Upon the one side innocent childhood beautiful r motherhood upon the other the murderer and his victim As the painter looked upon his work he resolved to trace the life of the boy Years had passed since he painted the first picture From the home he traced him to the school room thence to the university there he had graduated graduated graduated with honors Later to a position of trust in a banking house From there thereto to the saloon to the gaming tables where a dispute arose one day over cards A quarrel ensued the blow was struck the weapon was drawn and the he fatal shot was fired The victim staggered out into the street the murderer followed and stood over his victim Slowly the thread of life had been unwound From the most beautiful of Gods God's creations to the murderer and his victim I Graduates to-day to is your commencement You will enter the great race for the fortunes of life The course is clear and the world stands I. ready to crown the victor with honor The race is not to the swift alone Each one is the builder of his own name The architect of your own fortune You may build in lifes life's fleeting hours a monument that will ever stand As you pass onward let it be recorded on the milestones of time That you have to your own selves been true it then follows as day the night you cannot be false to any man |