the battalion
17
VALiHDICTO^V.
BY E. W. KERR.
Tour Excellency, Honorable Board of Directors, Respected President
and Faculty, Fellow Cadets and Visitors :
Of all the blessings that Providence has allowed us to
eultivate, tbere is not one which breathes a purer fragrance
than education.
Its prospects are the brightest, its association the most
captivating, its assistance the most helpful and its pursuit the
most delightful.
There is no blessing so precious as the gracious en
couragement and the opportunity which attend the efforts of
our youth in their attempts to cultivate their minds. The
Classic learning of the east, the ripened and mellowed experi
ence of the ages, and the gatherings of civilization from time
immemorial await the beck and call of every aspiring youth,
imparting to him the riches of the past, brightening and pro
portioning his future, and above all, preparing him aright for
the useful walks of life.
Education is the basis upon which our nation is building.
Through it she bids fair to reach the highest pinnacle of
fame and sway with delicate adjustment and master strength
the political and commercial fortunes of the eastern and
western continents.
The mother eagle from her eyrie upon the mountain top
watches over her brood with an ever jealous eye and so her
educational system is to be the watchful nurse of our nations
progress. What I see before me today in this vast audience
is illustrative of the problem which engages all the push and
originality of Americans. His Excellenc}?- the Governor of
Texas leaving the affairs of State; so many distinguished
visitors sacrifising extended business interests; our president
here, declining the demands of an anxious people inviting his
return to public positions of trust and importance; our faculty
wreathed in holiday smiles; so many fair ones, whose en-