Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 1, 1900)
20 THE BATTALION. Fourth. It insures a quiet but effec tive self-control of the whole being, both mental and physical. To illustrate: Have you not more than once seen tne green, gawky student make his first at tempt at serving on a literary program. The effort was painful both to him and to you. He was nervous and ill at ease. If he had a declamation the words would seem to cleave to the roof of his mouth, and possibly in the midst of his lines he would forget what came next, and in great confusion and humiliation he would take his seat. But, my friends, I have noticed that these hopeless cases have lots of pluck and perseverance. They don’t give up, and in a year or two that same young man is a crack de bater and a fluent orator. The literary society did much for him, but, young men, believe me, not more than it will do for you if you will but give it a trial. The valedictorian of my class was such an one, but when we stood on the plat form to receive our diplomas, there were very few dry eyes after Huck Watkins had finished. His efforts—his work within these very walls—had made him a finished orator. , When Henry Grady (and I speak his name in loving reverence) was a student at the University of Virginia, his bi ographer tells us that his hightest hope and ambition was to win the medal of fered by the literary societies and to represent the University as final orator. It was in that forum that Grady’s matchless intellect conceived the theme of a “New South,” and in the classic halls of old Charlottesville that the rav ishing sweetness of his eloquence was first given to the world. And, young men, if you would read a gem, get Gra dy’s speech delivered before his old so ciety ten years later. Read it, and you will thank God for Grady and rejoice that the South produced him. Perhaps the two most brilliant men in Texas to-day are Senator Chas. A. Culberson and Hon. Dudley G. Wooten, and it has been my pleasure to hear these men (they were in the same class at the same university) discuss their college life, and it is a fact that one of them at least gave up his degree for the sake of doing more work in the literary society, thus showing the tremendous importance he attached to it. Young men, you are missing great op portunities for self-improvement if you do not avail yourselves of the privileges of these halls. It is a fact that the young men who have achieved the high est honors in their college career at this institution have been, nearly all of them, men who took prominent place in so ciety work. Not only that, but some of the most distinguished alumni the Col lege has to-day were society men. There is a great deal of significance in this fact and history will repeat itself. The young men who will take the highest honors this year, mark my prediction, will be members of one of these societies. And now let me make a few sugges tions as to the methods which can be legitimately employed to increase inter est and promote enlarged success in your work. First, a question: Does the faculty cooperate with you? Do the professors encourage you with their presence in your Saturday night meetings ? Do they respond gladly when you ask them to oc casionally appear on your program? I suppose surely they do, and I honor them for their presence here to-night. I want to say to them that it lies very largely in their power to make or mar