President Sloan:

A RESPONSE*

I wish it were possible for me to express to you in a few words the very great pleasure which we have experienced in being present at your centennial celebration. We have listened with delight to the sermons and addresses which have been delivered, and to the noble Centennial Ode, and the eloquent Commemorative Address; and we esteem it one of the happiest incidents of our lives that we were invited to be present on this occasion. And now you have filled our cup to overflowing by bestowing upon us this special honor. The value of such an honor depends entirely upon the character of the giver. We are familiar with the history of South Carolina College; we know the noble character of the men who have carried forward its work in the interest of religion and education, the two great forces upon which we must rely for keeping the world from going to ruin; we know the influence which the college has exerted in the state, and how closely it has been identified with the men who have made for themselves a great name at home and abroad, and we are proud to have

*Delivered at Columbia, South Carolina, at the Centennial of South Carolina College, January 10th, 1905, in acknowledgment of the honorary degrees conferred and in behalf of those who received a degree.

our names placed among your alumni; proud to receive this recognition from South Carolina College, and doubly proud to receive it from your hands, sir, as president.

We thank you for the honor conferred; we congratulate you on the success of this centennial celebration, and we wish for the college the greatest prosperity in the years to come, and for yourself the glory of an administration that shall give a decided uplift to the character and manhood of the young men of the whole state of South Carolina.

What a delightful thing it is to be a teacher and to be associated always with the young! The freshmen are always young, and they never grow old. The freshmen of next year will be just as young as were the freshmen of this year. It keeps us young to be constantly associated with the young. It keeps our hearts warm. It keeps us in touch with humanity. Nothing else is so charming and inspiring as this perpetual association year after year with young men; unless, indeed, it be, in a co-educational institution, a like association with young women, and I doubt if the young women themselves would believe that association with them could be more inspiring than association with young men. But when we have both, what more could be asked? I have no doubt that it is largely owing to this that you and I and the rest of us are so young as we are. Time can not touch us because of our environment.

It is a great satisfaction to me that there is at the present time such a cordial good feeling among the colleges of our country, such a catholic spirit, such a freedom from jealousy and unfriendly rivalry. We are all engaged in a common work. We all have

the same purpose. We are trying to train citizens who will be a blessing to the country. The success of one is the success of all. The glory of one is the glory of all. The misfortune of one brings sorrow to all.

And so we are prepared to wish for you what we would wish for ourselves, that the value of your work may be appreciated by the people of the state; that the legislature may be liberal in providing for your wants; that the people may trust you generously with the training of their sons and daughters; and that the influence of your work may so permeate every part of the state that the people, out of their fulness of joy, shall rise up and call you and your honored colleagues "blessed," because of the grand work which you have done for South Carolina. Be assured, sir, that we shall carry to our homes a most pleasant remembrance of our visit here, and that in the years to come we shall cherish a most lively interest in the welfare of South Carolina, and especially of its college, which we sincerely hope may become the University of South Carolina.