The Mercury - May 1902 ; Gettysburg College Mercury; College Mercury; Mercury
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SPALDING'S TRADE=MARK on Athletic Goods is the of guarantee of quality. Don't be deceived by "just as good' that some dealers offer you. Spalding's supplies are made better and last longer—and the price cheaper, when you consider the wear and tear they will stand Spalding's goods are made to last with the toughest kind of use. A. G. SPALDING & BROS. NEW YORK INCORPORATED CHICAGO DENVER J. I. MUMPER. 41 Baltimore St., Gettysburg, Pa. The improvements to our Studio have proven a perfect success and we are now better prepared than ever to give you satisfactory work. * »- THE GETTYSBURG JIERGUHY The Literary Journal of Gettysburg College Voi,. XI. GETTYSBURG, PA., MAY, 1902 No. 3 CONTENTS SESTIUS {Poem) 74 CHAS. W. HEATHCOTE, '05. NATURE IN EMERSON'S POETRY 75 CHARLES C. STORRICK, '02. THE LIFE THAT IS RECORDED 80 FRED. G. MASTERS, '04. ,'KITTY" {Story) 85 C. B. GI,ATEEI,TER, '04. THE ROMAN EMPIRE TAKEN AS A MODEL FOR THE PAPAL EMPIRE 86 D. MONTFORT MELCHIOR, '02 ALEXANDER HAMILTON 93 W. W. BARKXEY, '04. "YARNS" 99 FRESHMAN. "THE MILL WILL NEVER GRIND WITH THE WATER THAT IS PAST" 101 LYMAN A. GUSS, '04. EDITORIALS 105 Spring Term—Senior Memorial—Catalogue. EXCHANGES 107 BOOK REVIEW . 107 74 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. TO SESTIUS. (Translatedfrom Horace.) CHAS. W. HEATHCOTB, '05. TNCLEMENT Winter melts away, lo Spring with sunny skies ~ And gentle zephyrs; sailors launch their ships again from shore Now cattle leave their stalls, and peasant quits his fire, And fields bloom with flowers where laid the snow before. By Venus led, while moon shines over head, The comely graces joined hand in hand with alternating feet Strike on the ground, while glowing Vulcan scatters fire fierce and red From the forges of the Cyclops, with repeated beat. 'Tis fit with myrtle green to crown our head Or with flowers, the earth from the fetters of Winter freed. And to sacrifice to Pan in some grassy bed, A lamb or kid if he prefers such offering feed. Death comes alike to all—to the tyrant's lofty mansion Or the cottage of the poor—his advances none can stay. Oh, happy Sestius, achieve each day some certain action, Enjoy thy life to-day with far reaching hopes away. Soon shall the grave enshroud thee and the Manes' feeble crowd And shadowy home of Pluto shut thee in, There shalt not thou cast lot for ruddy wine, Nor woo the gentle Lycidas whom all are mad to win. THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. 75 . NATURE IN EMERSON'S POETRY. CHARLES C. STORRICK, '02. (Graeff Prize Essay.) /V LL who are familiar with the literature of the period of ^ •*■ Queen Anne, know that it was devoid of poems based on Nature. About the time that Wordsworth came into promi-nence as a poet, an insurrection arose against the school of literature represented by Dryden and Pope. This insurrection was called "a going back to nature." Burns exemplified it in fresh and original poems, Cowper also manifested it in minute descriptions of natural objects. Compare one of Burns' or Cowper's poems with the conventional verse of the times, and the latter is completely overshadowed by the beauty and mean-ing of the new style of literature. William Wordsworth was the great head of this revolution. He endeavored not only to describe but to interpret Nature, to examine into her various forms and to discover the meaning she conveys. By communing with her he discovered that she was spiritually alive, that his own soul was not only touched and inspired by viewing her, but that the spirit animating her was similar to his own. Wordsworth's experience was the re-sult of genuine insight, and not crazy, mystical metaphysics. If we do not understand Wordsworth, we cannot hope to un • derstand and appreciate Emerson, as he was even more mys-tical and complex than Wordsworth. Emerson belongs to the same school of literature as Wordsworth. Nearly all of Emerson's poems show a love and keen under-standing of Nature; the power of interpreting her "various language, also the all absorbing joy in communing with her." The lover of Nature, he says, is he "whose inward and outward senses arc still truly adjusted to each other; who has retained the spirit of infancy even into the era of manhood. His intercourse with her becomes part of his daily food. In her presence a wild delight thrills his soul. In the woods a man casts off his years as a snake its slough, and is forever 76 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. young. Here is perpetual youth ; within these plantations of God a decorum and sanctity reign, a perennial festival is dressed, and the guest sees not how he could tire of them in a thousand years." Thus it was that Emerson beheld Nature. Let us now consider what he denned Nature to be. We can best do this by using his own definition—"Nature in the common sense refers to essences unchanged by man—space, the air, the river and the leaf. Philosophically speaking, the universe is composed of Nature and the Soul." His chief idea was that the whole universe of thought and things was a complex manifestation of a Central Unity; that "the all" was a manifestation of "the one;" man in his loftiest perceptions of Nature, communed not only with the soul ani-mating the visible universe, but also saw and felt that his own soul was identical with it. Thus the value and weight of natural objects on the mind. In the development of his thought he seems, at times, to be a pantheist, at others, a deist. He was, in truth, however, a transcendentalist. His deity is "imminent" in the universe of matter. In one of his poems he complains that many writers and scientists have lost the sense that Nature is spiritually alive. He considers Nature as a powerful teacher from whom we may learn the greatest and most beautiful truths. One of his first poems was "Good bye, Proud World." These lines were written when he was a teacher in a Boston school, and his "Sylvan Home," described in the poem, was his country boarding place, not far distant. In these lines he gave the first evidence of his intellectual and moral independence. His work of teaching seems to have been a drudgery to him, judging from the way his soul was thrilled when he escaped to the country. Then he burst forth in the exulting joy of the deliverance from his task, as follows: Oh, when I am safe in my sylvan home, I tread on the pride of Greece and Rome , And when I am stretched beneath the pines Where the evening star so holy shines, I laugh at the lore and pride of man, THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. JJ At the sophist schools and the learned clan ; For what are they all, in their high conceit, When man in the bush with God may meet? In "Wood Notes" we behold Emerson in his most rapturous mood. There is inspiration in every line. Here he is in direct contact with Nature; he throws off all the chains of conven-tionality, and sings as if he were the first and only one of his race—an Adam who has seen the growth of all things, and witnessed the creation whose secret purpose and plan he per-ceives. Here he is free from all care and worry; here is all that charms and delights; all that appeals to a poet of Nature, and his heart wells up to overflowing with praise to his God and Maker. Here he discovers that each rock, and tree, and stream gives to him some divine inspiration. The rock sug-gests firmness and stability of purpose ; the clear stream, pure-ness of life; the tree, uprightness of character. All convey to him beauty and grandeur. In the first stanza of the "Wood Notes" he says: "Caesar of his leafy Rome, There, the poet is at home." Here in the forest he imagines the trees speak to him all the living languages, conveying to his mind great and divine truths. All that is worth learning, Nature confides to him when he thus communes with her. In the poem entitled "Monadnoc" he goes forth to the moun-tain of this name and there communes with Nature. The trees relate to him great truths, and the dashing mountain streams sing to him music of angelic strains. He considered it better to live in such a place as this in a hut than in a pala-tial home in the fashionable city. The general trend of his writings goes to show that the aim of the spirit which under-lies Nature is to build up intrepid manhood in human nature. In this same poem he says the soul of Nature goes on to mould and shape better men. What is the mental mood in which the human mind, lifted above its ordinary limitations, sees into the heart of Nature ? 78 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. Emerson calls it a mood of ecstacy—a sort of heavenly intoxi-cation which, while it may blind the eye of the soul to things as they appear, sharpens and brightens its perception of things as they really are. In "Bacchus" we have an example and a statement of this inspiration. "Bring me," he says: "Bring me wine, but wine which never grew In the belly of the grape * * * That I intoxicated, * * * May float at pleasure through all nations; The bird language rightly spell, And that which roses say so well." Emerson says that his ideal poet never lived. The greatest poets have only suggested here and there, the possible "Olym-pian Bard," who would sing "divine ideas" on earth without any break in the stream of his inspiration. His character would ever be on a level with his loftiest aspirations. The secret of the universe such a poet would reveal, but most poets caught only glimpses of this secret in certain moments when they saw the "Real shining through the mask of the Apparent." The mask was visible nature, the real was the soul within and behind it. He sees in Nature an exemplification of the doctrine of the "survival of the fittest." What we call evil he considers to be often the greatest good. "Evil is good in the making, not a positive substance, but a mere imperfection of good." "If one shall read the future of the race hinted in the organic effort of Nature to mount and meliorate, and the corresponding impulse to the Better in the human being, we shall dare affirm that there is nothing he will not overcome and convert, until at last cul-ture shall absorb the chaos and gehenna. He will convert the Furies into Muses, and the hells into benefits." Passing by Emerson's poetic philosophy of Nature and man, and the poems which represent it, he is still the author of some short poems which are admirable and beautiful. Such are, "Each and All," "The Rhodora," "The Seashore," "The Snow-storm," "The Humble-bee" and "Forerunners." In the last of ■ THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. 79 these he tells us of his joyous and resolute pursuit of unattain-able beauty. He ever abhorred the ugly. No poet was ever more susceptible to the beautiful. In Nature he saw beauty re-alized. He felt, like his own humble bee, an abhorrence of "Aught unsavory or unclean." In his poem, called the "Sea-shore," he sees beauty in Nature which far outranks that of Art. The sculpture far outranks that of Phidias. The beauties of the sunset and sunrise are far more beautiful in Nature than those the artist has portrayed on his canvas. The dewdrop, glittering in the morning sun, far outshines the beauty of the ruby or diamond. The fantastic shape of the drifted snow and the beauty of the flakes microscopically viewed are beauty real-ized. The pure whiteness of the snow signifies true nobility and strength of character. The music of the sea and forest stream is far sweeter than that of the sad Orpheus. Emerson is truly a poet of Nature. In the woods and fields his soul leaps up in joy and he is awed by the majesty and mystery of Nature. Here all is pure and not polluted by "the traces of vulgar feet." Destroy his poems on Nature and we have, in fact, destroyed them all, or at least the best and most attractive of his poems. This was his only theme—Nature its mysteries and grandeur. From her he obtained all his wis-dom and learning. To be perfect as Nature was his ideal. »-'T^ How glorious is man ; how high his power! The fairest diadem of things that are, Who sees his Maker's beauty in the flower, His greatness in each planet and bright star. To man all animals submission pay, To him the elements in homage bend, And nature owns his universal sway, That they with him might their due honor send To God's refulgent throne, and ever raise Through him their voices loud, hymning eternal praise. —JOHN B. FAY in Georgetown College Journal. 8o THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. THE LIFE THAT IS RECORDED. FRED. G. MASTERS, '04. "*l'| '•HE great are only great because we are on our knees • ^ let us rise up."—PRUDHOMME. "From the lowest depth there is a path 'to the loftiest heights.' "—CARLYLE. The subject, The Life That Is Recorded, stands in contra-diction to other life that is unrecorded. By the recorded life we mean that life which has been of so much importance in the world that its achievements will be perpetuated for ages in the best literature. Do we mean to include the records of the majority of lives as published in the newspapers of the day? No! At the present time we may believe just about one third of what we read in our dailies. One can travel the path of learning but a very short distance without hearing the names of such men as Solomon, Nero, Caesar, Paul, Plato, Homer, Virgil, Horace, Shakespeare, Milton, Voltaire, Washington. It is the lives of such men, men whose achievements are written in capital letters in the world's history, that we wish to speak of in this paper. Men are prone to recognize qualities of greatness in a man, whether this greatness be for the uplifting of humanity or for tearing it down. He who would have his life recorded must be a genius indeed. He must be made of different dust from the generality of men. He must have a spirit that brooks no opposition, and stands waiting every opportunity to go a step higher. Why is the lifework of Shakespeare recorded ? Is it because he was the first dramatist of any note that wrote in the English language, or is it because he was the greatest ? It is for the latter reason that scarcely a day passes without our hearing of the Bard of the Avon. He has given us masterpieces in their line. His works are read with increased interest as we become familiar with them. He has depicted for us human life as no other author ever did. Milton, sitting alone in darkness, gave THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. 8l us his Paradise Lost. Bunyan, languishing in jail at Bedford, wrote his famous allegory, Pilgrim's Progress. It is men of this kind who make their names immortal, men who are burn-ing with the intensity of their subject, men who feel that they have a mission to perform, and consequently do it with all their might. Let us not think that good men alone have become great. The greatest villians of history have their names written side by side with the benefactors of mankind. Judas is known throughout the world. But, alas, for what? For having betrayed a kind and loving Saviour for money. Charles IV has become famous. For what ? For having ordered the most bloody slaughter of his fellow men that the civilized world has ever seen. Benedict Arnold is known to every schoolboy. He is not spoken of because of his heroic conduct at Quebec, but because of his base desertion of his native country, then struggling for freedom and justice. And so we might go on speaking of both the good and the bad, telling why their names are recorded. It is much more pleasant to hear good of men than bad, hence we would confine ourself to the good record rather than the bad. We see, in history, that men have become eminent and in-fluential, not by force of circumstance, but by energy and in-dustry. Especially in our own country do we see those who have sprung from the lowest walks of life, occupying positions of the greatest honor and trust. We see Lincoln, coming from the log-cabin in Kentucky, flashing upon the public gaze like a meteor. But, mark you, his achievements, up until the time he became president, were by no means meteoric. They were the results of persistent labor and a high aspiration. Other men might be mentioned, as having sprung from similar en-vironments ; such as Garfield, Webster, Rittenhouse, Carnegie, Edison, Black, Franklin, Clay, and others. As we have already remarked, it cannot be mere chance and genius that have thrust men before the gaze of their fellows, and will cause them to maintain the same enviable position for centuries. The man who is not willing to work and to strain 82 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. every nerve to accomplish a definite end, need not hope for success and probably an epitaph written in the world's history. To borrow an expression, we dare not lie on our backs and hug the delusive phantom, Genius, trusting it, alone, to work out our destiny for us. In all things, as in literature, native bent or genius is not sufficient. It must be combined with culture and discipline. Man is what he is by effort, and not by nature. Water is raised above the level of the original fountain by artificial means, and so man raised himself above the level of ordinary humanity by artificial means. Nature favors certain ones, it is true, but she is far more impartial than we give her credit for. The life of a great man is a continual struggle, it matters not what character he is playing in life's great drama, whether he be a poet or a statesman, a Washington or a Bunyan, it is equally arduous. We are sure to encounter rivalries if we come to be of any importance at all. A revelation of this kind awaits every young man who leaves his quiet, sheltered home, to enter the lists and engage in the strifes of men. He will find himself on the edge of the whirlpool of fierce contemplations. He may have been unduly flattered at home. Possessing unusual natural ability, he may have been even first in his native vil-lage. How dwarfed seem his own pitiful accomplishments, when once he has been ushered into the fierce competition of the larger world, in the presence of his more gifted fellows—men of brilliant intellect and high attainment. Holland says : "A young man will not be noticed until he becomes noticeable, and he will not become noticeable until he has done something to prove that he has an absolute value in society." To attain to true greatness one must have confidence in the possibilities that lie before him. The actual is what is, what may be is the possible. The actual and the possible of things are widely separated. They bear not the faintest resemblance to each other. We are too easily satisfied with what we are, and what we have already done. Men are too prone to rest on the actual. Men like Lincoln are the exceptions, but the THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. 83 actual rail-splitter was the possible president. Probably every man feels that, in a sense, he is not what he ought to be, and what he might have been. He has let slip many opportunities t he has wasted many precious moments, he has listened to many evil suggestions, and can recall many failures. Many men in perfect health have made a miserable failure in life. Such men may well be shamed by the recital of what others have accomplished in illness and even in the very shadow of death- Milton, though blind, wrote "Paradise Lost." Greene wrote his "History of the English People" while suffering with an in-curable disease. We should seek to know, first of all, what our strong points are, and where our greatest power lies; and then seek to de-velop ourselves along those lines. A man can do at least one thing well, and failures come from trying to do some other thing. Never confuse Ambition and Presumption. Ambition, which leads to the greatest success ofttimes, is worthy of all praise; Presumption, which leads a man to try what he is not fitted for, is folly. Many a first-class carpenter, who might have become an architect of renown, has frittered his life away as a third class professional man. Many a poor preacher might have amassed a princely fortune in the business world. The value of discipline is incalculable. We are unable to exercise authority over others before we have conquered our-selves. Why does the educated man have an advantage in the competitions of life? Surely it is not on account of the names, dates, formula, etc., that he learned in school. These slip away from him with rapidity that is surprising. What is it, then, that gives him his powers to rise ? It is training, discipline. He is able to seize mens' problems and master them, because of demands made upon him, in the course of his training, which required a certain grasp and quickness. How many, many men are toiling, hard and earnestly, for a place on the world's honor roll ? How many have elements of greatness in them, and genius, which, unassisted by the things mentioned in the preceding paragraph, have not been devel-oped ? 84 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. Let each one of us strive to cultivate in himself qualities, which, if they do not lend immortality to his name, will show our fellowmen that we have not lived in vain, that we have not been mere cumberers of the ground. Let us go forth, then, "to meet the shadowy future without fear and with a manly heart." Let us neglect no opportunity, spare no pains, submit to no discouragement. This done, we may say to Fortune: "Smile and we smile, the lords of many lands ; frown, and we smile, the lords of our own lands ; for man is man, and master of his fate." VESPERS. Dim shadows stretch along the hills, Her first shy note the wood thrush trills, • . In sweet alarm ; The lowing cattle homeward stray ; 'Tis twilight hour—the lingering day Hath lost her charm. Afar chime sweetly vesper bells ; The gathering gloom their anthem swells And peace bestows ; A dreamy echo, faint but fair, O'er evening throws the hush of prayer, Full, calm repose. —HAROU> E. WII^ON, in Wesleyan Lit. A MEMORY. The rustle soft of silk and lace, The fragrant blossoms falling slow, The moon's white light and thy dear face, So many years ago ! Before mine eyes stand now as then, Because I chance to see Our names deep-carved in that old bench Beneath the cherry tree. —1,. v. R. THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. 85 » , "KITTY." C. B. Gr,ADFEI,TER, '04. f t TT£ ITTY, dear, do you sec that beautiful green valley, **" flecked with white cottages, while beyond, the river, like a .stream of molten silver, flows rapidly on toward the falls ?" inquired Mr. George Wellington, as he turned his gaze from the glimpses of beautiful scenery which presented them-selves from the carriage window, and addressed his wife, who was the only occupant of the vehicle, beside himself. "I'll bet I do! It's high, aint it? It just knocks everything I ever see in the shape of stunnin' scenery! White Mountains can't hold a candle—" There is no telling how much farther the lady would have carried her extravagance of can't phraseology, had she not been suddenly checked by her husband. "Kitty, my dear, I cannot listen to such language as yours, which I assure you is highly improper for a lady or gentleman to make use of. You may be able to appreciate and admire the beauties of nature, yet if you cannot express your thoughts and comparisons in more lady-like and more becoming and elegant language, you had better remain silent. When I first saw you four months ago, and falling in love with your pretty face and comely form, asked you to become my wife, and took you from the humble position of a farmer girl to make you the wife of George Wellington, I had no doubt that with your ex-cellent disposition and willingness to be taught, I should soon be able to eradicate those blemishes of education common among girls of your former position ; and also to give up those "can't terms, " or "slang phrases," which I may say is the only bad habit to which you are addicted," said her husband, firmly, yet kindly. "Well, now, I'm sorry you're so tender-eared, but I can't go dictionary talk. You sail in on big jaw-breakers like a horse> but you see, I never had such schoolin'," she retorted feelingly "It is not the simplicity or plainness of your language o 86 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. which I object," he continued, "and I can also overlook your ignorance of the rules of grammar, which you may easily learn ; but I dislike your "slang terms," which mar the effect of nearly every sentence you utter. If you wish, I will illustrate my meaning plainly." "Go in," she exclaimed. " 'Go in' is a phrase which no lady will make use of when it has no reference to the subject of her conversation." "Up a tree, again, am I ?" "Why do you say, 'up a tree ?' It has no meaning as you used it." "I can't see it. You're too minceing. Talk English, I say; go the whole hog." "Will you reflect previous to speaking, Kitty, and be very careful ?" "Yes, I'll put in all I know how." "Why not have said, you would try ?" "That's played out. I'd rather do a thing than be keeping books on a thing I can-not do, try all I can muster. Puttin' on airs is a thing I de-spise," she remarked, more earnestly than grammatically. "You are incorrigible," he returned. "That's so," she re-plied, as if the subject, as well it might, was becoming distaste-ful to her. "Kitty, I have no desire to cause you a moment's pain," he continued, kindly, "but I must request you to use language be-fitting a lady, for if you should utter such phrases as you have made use of since our marriage, and which I have repeatedly requested you to abstain from, to no purpose, it will cause me vast mortification, and I shall feel far from proud to introduce you to my relatives and friends in the city whither we are going, and where I had hoped to bring a mistress who should preside with beauty and refinement in the mansion at 264 N. Centre St., C—, which is being put in readiness to receive us." "Do you want me to put a stopper on my mouth for a whole term ? If you mean so, sail in and say so," she replied, evi-dently with the intention of letting the matter drop, and her husband, who seemed to think it a hopeless case, was also THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. 87 silent, and the subject was not alluded to again during the journey. ******* * Mr. George Wellington had returned to the city and had brought home a wife, who, while she was very beautiful and graceful, and dressed with taste, could not speak a loud word, in fact, "did not utter a syllable above a whisper." So said the neighbors, who had called upon Mr. Wellington and lady, and as the story was in everybody's mouth, it cer-tainly must be true. The visitors had undertaken to hold conversation with Mrs. Wellington, and although she was not deaf, and could under-stand perfectly all that was said to her, yet she was obliged to answer them by way of her maid, Crete, who first listened to the words of her mistress, uttered in a faint whisper, and then repeated them to the ladies that had called. This method, of course, was not approved by the "fashionable world," or that portion of it which resided in the vicinity of Mr. Wellington's residence, for several reasons. In the first place, it did not please the ladies who conversed with Mrs. Wellington to ad-dress themselves to the servant, in order to reach that lady's ears, for they sometimes forgot that Mrs. Wellington was not deaf, and seemed to speak as well as listen to the words of Crete, who was well educated and conversed with an elegance and purity of diction remarkable for a domestic; and, in the second place, it did not give them an opportunity to draw out family secrets, so as to ascertain Mrs. Wellington's social standing at G— previous to her marriage with the renowned lawyer; for had it been known that she "was nothing but a farmer girl," not of that circle of "aristocratic" ladies who were so profuse in their compliments and good wishes, not one would have ever honored the new wife with their visits. But the lady's anteced-ents were all in the dark, and rumor asserted that she was the "daugher of an English banker," so that all gossip concerning her right of admission to their "set" was soon dispersed. It must be admitted that the strange conduct of his wife, in refusing to speak aloud or to hold any conversation with guests, 88 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. save with Crete as "interpreter," was a matter of surprise to Mr. Wellington; but his questionings were all in vain, and threats were useless, as Mrs. Wellington still persisted in "keep-ing mum" as she elegantly expressed it in whispered accent. A few months after, Mr. Wellington was startled and pleased to hear his wife conversing in rather loud and cheerful tones, and by the animated accents he judged that something had at last induced his wife to resume her former tones, and at the same time, he noticed that her language was free from all "slang phrases" and was quite befitting a lady. Unable to ex-plain this sudden change, he entered the parlor and found his wife engaged in lively conversation with a mutual friend. After the visitor had left he quickly asked Mrs. Wellington the reason of her sudden resumption of voice, and also her motive in cor-recting her language, which was the most pleasing circum-stance of the two, he smilingly observed. "Louis," she re-plied, addressing him by his family name, "I will confess all. I knew my use of 'can't phrases' arid 'slang terms' was a habit which was in my power to overcome If it vexed you, it was distressing to myself, and I soon formed a plan for its cure. I sent for an old friend of mine, Crete Martin, to whom I con • fided my plan, and she promised to assist me, for besides in-structing me how to speak and how to avoid loose expressions, she volunteered to become my 'interpreter' to all who called, providing I would remain silent or not speak above a whisper, and to her only. This plan was put into execution, and you, dearest husband, have seen the result." "How can I express my pleasure, oh, dearest of wives?" passionately asked the hus-band. "By forgiving me for the harmless ruse I have made use of to effect my cure of the "lingual disease" and by confessing that you are not sorry that you married the little 'farmer girl,' " replied his wife. The fashionable friends of Mr. and Mrs. Wellington were astonished to hear of the lady's recovery of her voice, but they never heard Kitty Wellington make use of any "slang phrases." THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. 89 THE ROMAN EMPIRE TAKEN AS A MODEL FOR THE PAPAL EMPIRE. D. MONTFORT MEIXHtOR, '02. T^fANY people are amazed at the greatness of the Catholic A*A Church, wonder at its strength, power and firmness. We all know how amid the strife, contention and turmoil of Protestant Churches the Roman Catholic Church moves on without a ripple to disturb the placid calmness of its govern-ment. The great question with many people is why this should be the case with this one church and not with the rest. A great deal of dissatisfaction is expressed and complaint made about wranglings in the Protestant Churches; and the Papal Empire is upheld as a model and criticism of perfect church manage-ment. It is not that Protestantism is weak, but that Catholi-cism is strong. Rome has been regarded the greatest model of perfect gov-ernment the world has ever known. From 754 B. C. to the fall of the Eastern Empire, in 1452 A. D., Rome or its equiva-lent tried almost all kinds of government imaginable, and not until the time of the Empire did it show its maximum of true strength and irresistable power. In her earlier history when Rome was acknowledged all powerful, and when there were no other formidable powers to oppose her, it was a comparatively small matter to be ruler of the world. But to call itself the mightiest of world powers and then defend that title against the rest of a civilized and strengthened world was another mat-ter. The republic in a comparatively short time failed to at-tain the ideal of strength, owing, at first, to a lack of centrali-zation of power and afterwards to the high-handed measures of the Triumvirate. When Octavianus assumed supreme rulership he had to face the problem of founding the mightiest nation the world had ever seen. And even under him and his immediate successors Rome did not attain its summum of strength and greatness— 9o THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. at least in firmness of civil organization. It remained for Diocletian and Constantine to establish a sytsem of government the principles of which could well defy all other forms of rule ever attempted. When yet a youth it was prophesied by a Druidess that Diocletian should at some time be emperor, and consequently throughout his early life he always kept this ambitious end in view. When he did ascend the throne, vigorous measures were necessary to get the Empire under his direct control, and ere long the Senate was deprived of its powers, and everything was brought under his immediate control. One writer says, he instituted a variety of forms at court, which precluded access to his throne, and entrusted the care of his palace to the vigilance of eunuchs; required every subject, even the highest rank, to fall prostrate to the ground, and to approach him as a divinity; ordained them to even kiss his feet, and had his shoes for the purpose of this ceremony, em-broidered with gold and studded with precious stones. To quote from Morey, "To exalt the person of the emperor was one of the first objects of the reforms of Diocletian. This prince assumed the diadem of the East, and the approach to his person was rendered difficult by complicated ceremonies. Every means was used to prevent any detraction from the im-perial honor and sanctity." But ere long Diocletian found his throne threatened by pre-tenders, and feeling the need of an assistant, "Diocletian had associated with himself in the government his companion in arms, Maximian ; and under the name of 'Augusti' these two persons had divided between them the Eastern and Western provinces. Each Augustus also chose an associate under the name of 'Caesar.'" Thus all the Roman provinces were grouped into four great territorial divisions. This formed the basis of the provincial system of Constantine, who not only perfected the territorial organization of the empire, but also separated the civil from the military authority. For purposes of civil administration the whole empire was THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. 91 divided into four great praefccturcs each under its own governor called a Pretorian Praefect. The praefecture was divided into dioceses each under an officer called a Vicar. Each diocese was subdivided into provinces under officers called Presidents or Consulors. Each governor represented in his own dominion the Imperial authority. By the hierarchy of civil officers thus established the government of the Roman territory was reduced to the most systematic organization." This was the key note of the great success of the empire as a civil organization under Diocletian and his successors. Let us now turn to the Papal Empire. In organizing itself the Church followed the model of the Empire, the ecclesiastical divisions conforming to those of the civil administration. In the organization of the Roman Empire we have had at its head the Emperor, who was all supreme, and whose decisions were never questioned; in the Papal Empire we have the Pope, whose commands are regarded as the commands of God; in the Ro-man Empire we had directly under the Emperor 4 Prastorian Prsefects, each ruling over a Prefecture; in the Papal Empire, next in authority to the Pope, are the 4 Cardinals, correspond-ing to the Vicars of the Roman Empire; we have in the Papal Empire the Archbishops; where there were Presidents or Con-sulars in the Roman Empire, there are in the Papal Empire bishops. Thus we notice that the outline of the two great sys-tems is the same. In every respect the Papal Empire modeled itself after the Roman Empire. They went hand in hand for a long time—the one claiming the highest authority in spiritual affairs, the other in temporal affairs. Myers says: "Nor was this advantage lost when misfortune befell the imperial city. Thus the removal by Constantine of the seat of government to the Bosphorus, instead of diminish-ing the power and dignity of the Roman bishops, tended pow-erfully to promote their claims and authority. In the phrase of Dante, 'it gave the shepherd room.' It left the Pontiff the fore-most personage of Rome." Imperial Rome was gone, but the Pope, modeling his rule after that of the abdicated Imperium, placed in its stead Papal Rome. 92 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. "If the misfortunes of Rome tended to the enhancement of the reputation and influence of the Roman bishops, much more did the downfall of the Capital tend to the same end. Upon the surrender of the sovereignty of the West into the hands of the Emperor of the East, the bishops of Rome be-came the most important persons in Western Europe, and, be-ing so far removed from the Court at Constantinople, gradually assumed almost imperial powers. They became the arbiters between barbarian chiefs and the Italians, and to them were re-ferred for decision the disputes arising between cities, states and kings. It is easy to see how directly and powerfully these things tended to strengthen the authority and increase the in-fluence of the Roman See." As in the Roman Empire the Emperor was always appealed to as the highest authority in cases of civil strife, so "all cases might be appealed from the courts of the bishops and arch-bishops of the different European countries to the Papal See, which then became the court of last resort in all cases affecting ecclesiastics or concerning religion. The Pope thus came to be regarded as the fountain of justice, and the supreme judge of Christendom, while emperors and kings and all civil magistrates bore the sword simply as his ministers to carry into effect his sentences and decrees." Thus we see that in looking at an outline of the Roman Empire and the Papal Empire they are identical. Easily is it demonstrated that the Papal Empire was modeled directly after the Roman Empire, and that it js through this fact it has at-tained its excellence as a religious institution. "THE man that hath no music in himself, Nor is not moved with concord of sweet sounds, Is fit for treasons, stratagems and spoils ; And his affections, dark as Erebus ; Let no such man be trusted." —SHAKESPEARE. ■ THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. 93 ALEXANDER HAMILTON. W. W. BAKXEY, '04. g^UR Revolutionary fathers were heroes. The mighty con- ^■^ flict they waged for eight long years was filled with deeds of bravery and loyal sacrifice unparalleled in the history of ancient or modern times. Their struggle was long and hard, but they fought with an unflinching determination to free themselves forever from the stern hand of European tyranny and monarchy. They won; they at last realized the dream of the ages, the overthrow of iron-handed despotism with its host of god born kings and titled nobles. It was the death-blow to all those grinding customs and petty systems which had been the curse of nations for many ages, and the glorious establish-ment of the free and equal rights of all men upon the American Continent. What a victory! what a far-reaching stride along the path of civilization! Ours is the legacy to enjoy and main-tain. Rich and blessed is our heritage, the grandest and most perfect government upon the face of the globe. Esteemed and honored everywhere is the man who proudly bears the name of American. The soldier of seventy-six was pre eminently a destroyer. He touched with the fire-brand all that impeded the natural growth and unrestricted development of his country. He laid the axe at the root of the tree of British sovereignty. Glowing with red-hot indignation at his country's wrong, burning with an eager desire for freedom, he shouldered the musket and went forth to conquer or to die, a sacrifice upon the altar of a country's righteous cause, the bravest of the brave and the truest of the true! His work was destruction. Washington was the greatest destroyer of them all, and with him stood Patrick Henry, who thrilled assemblies crying aloud for "liberty or death;" Thomas Jefferson, mighty with the pen, and the ar-dent Samuel Adams, stirring the heart of anxious New Eng-land. England's grip on her prized colonies was loosed, leaving 94 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. them in the full and complete possession of liberty. The wor of destruction was finished. The larger work began the task of the Constitution. The Revolution was ended, but a more haz-ardous war remained, the war for the union and integrity of the States. A temple had to be erected for liberty to dwell in. Our fathers builded and they builded better than they knew. Chief among American builders was Alexander Hamilton. After the lapse of over a hundred years, free from prejudice, envy, and hate, we can look back with national pride upon the colossal grandeur of his character and declare him to be the noblest, the surest, the most profound of all the architects of our government. Next to Washington, he deserves to be classed at the very head of America's greatest statesmen. He was indeed a political giant. His figure stands out in bold out-line above all others. The whole of Europe has proclaimed him to be the ablest jurist and statesman ever produced in America. In thoroughness of scholarship, in extent and depth of knowledge, in profundity of research, in wisdom and judg-ment in application, Hamilton can be equaled by no man ever connected with the conduct of our nation's affairs. After being tried and tested for more than a century of time, the republic stands firmer, steadier, stronger than ever before. Politically, industrially and commercially, Hamilton has helped more than any man to make us what we are, and as the years recede this fact continues to grow clearer and obtains a more complete recognition from the American people. He placed the stamp of his influence and genius upon the character of our institu-tions never to be erased, and out of the greatest crisis which ever befell a country, he brought forth harmony, unity and system. As a boy, Hamilton was precocious and ambitious. Very early in life he showed signs of future greatness. Intense ap-plication of an already fertile mind to all his school and col-lege tasks fitted him for the larger work before him. While yet a mere boy he was grappling with weighty problems of state and government. Almost immediately at the beginning of the Revolution he THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. 95 became Washington's trusty aid-de-camp. All through those dark and troublous days, which sorely tried the honored gen-eral's soul, Hamilton was constantly by his side to advise and encourage, to write all his official papers and to act as his diplomat in cases which involved mighty and often uncertain issues. Truly he was the war complement of Washington. He solved the most knotty problems. "He interpreted the past, understood the present, and divined the future." Who will say that his sound judgment and keen foresight did not contribute largely to the final outcome of the war? The condition of the country at the close of the Revolution is well known to every student of American history. A hungry, ragged, unpaid army, a ruined national credit, a bank-rupt treasury, a disordered finance, a distracted commerce, thirteen ghastly States, groping about in the darkness like ghastly spectres in a graveyard with nothing to guide them but the despised articles of confederation and a wretched Congress with power to devise but none to enforce. No executive, no judiciary! A nation free but none to guide! "One today; thirteen to-morrow." Oh, the misery and the dilapidated con-dition of the colonies at the end of the Revolution ! Independ-ence, but no union! It was a crisis, terrible and momentous. Not until the wise men of eighty-seven came together in convention was there anything accomplished. Then the Con-stitution was born. Read our history and you will learn that in the work of that assembly, and in the framing of that instru-ment, Hamilton led, and the very skeleton itself of that great Supreme Law is the fruit of wisdom. The convention ad-journed and placed the work of their hands before the bar of the people. They howled, and cried, "Monarchy," "Tyranny," "Aristocracy," "Centralization." The States cried out against the loss of any of their so-called rights. At this juncture Hamilton came forward in the Federalist. He argued, he pleaded, he persuaded, he overcame popular prejudice, and was victorious in the adoption of the Constitution by the States in eighty-nine. Guizot declares, "There is not in the Constitution of the 96 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. United States an element of order, of force, of duration which Hamilton has not powerfully contributed to introduce into it and give it predominance." In these words he spoke but the world's sentiment. All remember Hamilton's faithful services at the head of the Treasury Department in Washington's administration. Imagine the chaos and confusion, ruin and disorder, at this stage in our history. Upon this state of affairs he turned the full light of his well-balanced mind and out came plans and schemes, order and system. The debt was cleared away, the national bank established, the nation's credit restored, and the country began to prosper. It was marvelous and astounding! Upon the dead skeleton of a paper constitution he put flesh and blood and nerves, and into it he breathed the breath of life and it be-came a living, working organism. What a miracle! He had tested the machinery of the government and proved it prac-tical. None have paid Hamilton a higher tribute than Web-ster. "He smote the rock of national resources and abundant streams of revenue burst forth; he touched the dead corpse of the public credit and it sprang upon its feet." All that is good in our financial history for a hundred years, and more, can be traced directly to the creative mind of Hamilton; all that is poor and unsteady can be found in violation of the principles outlined in the Hamiltonian policy. Surely this Hamilton was a true, a manly man, a genuine patriot, a powerful statesman, and the glorious benefactor of a nation mighty and respected among the powers of the earth. He stood for an idea, and that idea was a representative de-mocray with strong central powers. He abhored that monster, States' Rights. He said, "Down with the States and up with the nation;" "We the people," and not "We the States." When Daniel Webster uttered that memorable speech in Congress in reply to Hayne, "Liberty and union now and forever, one and inseparable," it was only the reverberation of Hamilton's warn-ing. When Stephen A. Douglas was crying out for Squatter Sovereignty, he did it in violation of the Hamiltonian principle. And when Abraham Lincoln set free four millions of slaves 1 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. 97 * with one stroke of the pen, he was only advancing the doctrine laid down by Hamilton fifty years before. The Civil War was Hamilton's war; its victory, his victory. At Gettysburg, he, as well as Meade, led the hosts for the Union ; at Appomattox, he, as well as Grant, received the sword from the grim-visaged Lee. Oh, that his words of warning had been heeded long before they were proved righteous and correct in that disastrous civil feud. Perhaps the war might have been averted. Neces-sary, or not necessary, we ought to thank God for the down-fall of Southern slavery and the maintenance of our country in-tact. April 9, 1865, marks the dying day of States' Rights, and the complete vindication of the government at Washington. The Union still stands, one and inseparable. To-day we can boast of forty-five States and six Territories, solid and compact as the Macedonian Phalanx, stretching from the Atlantic to the Pacific, from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico, bound together by the unbreakable bonds of like lan-guage, customs, and laws, eighty millions of people welded to-gether in unity with common interests and mutual feelings of love and sympathy. Sectional hatred and bitterness have long since died away. The North and the "South are no more. When the late call came for troops to fight Spain in behalf of her suffering, maltreated subjects, the soldiers of Georgia and Alabama marched side by side with the boys from New Hamp-shire and Vermont, General Joe Wheeler linked arms with General Miles, and all advanced abreast, oblivious of the past, mindful only of the struggle for Cuba's holy cause. Alexander Hamilton has passed away, but the principles for which he strove still live and they will continue to live so long as the United States keeps moving onward and upward in the path of righteousness and sound government. Here was a man of destiny. This republic of ours was his master ideal, this government, the substance of his political thought. His services were distinctly national, and it was the aim of his whole life to harmonize, and solidify, and unify the country. Oh, the strength, the grandeur, the power and might of 98 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. America! One to-day, one to-morrow, and may she remain one, firm and steady, until she has fulfilled the whole mission for which God intended her! America, the leader,the civilizer, the Christianizer of the whole world! America, united, "The land of the free and the home of the brave!" THS BELI/. IN the early gray of morning When in dreamland far you stray, Far away from books and lessons And the tasks of every day, You are suddenly awakened, Roused from slumber's drowsy spell By a most unearthly clatter— The unwelcome rising bell. If you're trying hard to scribble Just a line to Jack or Paul, And you think you'll surely finish Ere the postman makes his call; When you're midway in your missive And you've lots of news to tell— Then your roommate shouts, "Oh, Nellie! Eton't you hear the breakfast bell ?" When you're deep in some good story, And the hero of the tale Is involved in awful peril And his plans seem sure to fail; You will hear a sound familiar, An impatient ting-a-ling— At the most absorbing moment, Then the school bell's sure to ring. But when you're in recitation And you know the lesson well, All except the last two pages And you're yearning for the bell From the horrors of a zero Kind deliverance to bring Ere the teacher swoops upon you— Then the bell will never ring. E. H. R. in The College Folio. THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. 99 "YARNS." FRESHMAN. ^^NE day, this Winter, one of the professors of this institu- ^^ tution agreed to go skating with me. We followed the railroad, which was the nearest way to the pond to which we were going, when we came to a trestle over which we had to pass. This trestle suggested to the professor's mind a story. I will not vouch for its truth, but will say that this and the other stones following were really told. "This trestle," he said, "reminds me of one which I had to cross one time. As I was crossing it I was very much alarmed to find that a train was approaching and was so near that I could not possibly get to the other side of the trestle before the train would overtake me. I had to think very quickly and at once saw that the only thing for me to do was to drop down and hold on the railroad ties with my hands. But it so hap-pened that my one hand was hurt so that I had to hold on only by the other. However, since that was my only possible way of saving my life, I had to drop and hold on until the train had passed." I thought that this was a very good "yarn," but felt that I ought not to be outdone, and so I said: "Well, that may be true, but I had a much more thilling ad-venture one time. It was when I was out in the Rocky Moun-tains. I had come to a very long trestle and was crossing it- It was a bitter cold day and I was hurrying to get to my desti-nation. Nevertheless, I was delayed by an unlooked-for occur rence. A train was rapidly coming on and I was in great peril, for I, like you, could not possibly reach the end of the trestle in time to save myself as you did, for I had in my hands some very valuable packages. Although there was a great deal of water below I felt that in- order to escape the train, which was almost upon me, I would have to jump. You know how your tongue will adhere to iron or steel on a cold day ? Well, as I jumped I thought of this and quickly put out my IOO THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. tongue. As soon as it touched the bottom of the rail, the rail held it and there I hung, held only by my tongue, until the train had passed. I then put my package on the track and having climbed up, went on my way." This was almost too much for the professor, -but he was ready for me and said: "Why, that was nothing at all. I was once in the same predicament. I was on a trestle, a train was coming, I could not get across and I had four valuable packages in my hands. I saw that I would have to jump and at once did so, but my collar button caught on the lower part of the rail and held me until the train passed when I managed to crawl up to the track." Now, these stories may sound a little "fishy," but when you consider that a professor and I told them, I think you will put a little belief in them. However, they helped to pass the time and made us feel in good enough spirits to enjoy the skating immensely. MEMORIES. THE night creeps on. From off the still gray shore A heavy fog rolls in, and seems to shroud The world about me in a murky cloud. Of darkness, such as ne'er was felt before. In my very soul the shadows pour Their sober gloom; in loneliness low-bowed, My spirit faints before a clinging crowd Of memories—of days that are no more. But hark! A strain of music threads the gloom, And like a ray from heaven doth swift reveal My mother dear, singing that song one night, While summer moon-beams flooded all the room. Ah, once again her loving glance I feel, Sweet benediction—all is peace and light. —MINNIE B. MORRISON. THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. IOI "THE MILL WILL NEVER GRIND WITH THE WATER THAT IS PAST." LYMAN A. GUSS, '04. ^3^7"HAT is man? Man is two things. First, he is clay ^ * and destined to die. Secondly, he is spirit and des-tined to live. But man is only a singular being and hence must involve these two seemingly separate forms of existence. The first idea associates man with time; the second with eter-nity. Concerning the latter we have no interest so far as material gain and human achievements go. Concerning the former we have the supremest interest, both in regard to worldly advancement and spiritual salvation; for the first stage is but a stepping-stone to the second. To man is granted to know the present and the past, but with reference to the future he may only conjecture. In truth does not even the proverbial saying limit this privilege by proclaiming: "Boast not thyself of to-morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth." So recasting our former proposition it may be said with equal propriety, The mill will only grind with the water that is present. Man is the mill; the grinding of the mill is his influence and life product; and the water is time. Philosophers would tell us-that there is no present; that there is no mental ground between past and future. They would thereby make time contradict itself. Man acts only in the present, and his work is over as soon as transition from present to past occurs. He has never accomplished anything in the future. The world was made in present time, even in the twinkling of an eye. The God of the universe spoke and the earth was. Every separate act of any kind, simple or complex, contributing perhaps to the completion of some great work is always done in the present—never in the past, never in the future. O Time, defacer of the sculptured stone, Destroyer grim of all things here below— The clay-built cottage and the princely throne By thee are laid, without distinction, low ! 102 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. Without a pause thou run'st thy swift career, Within king man does not perceive 'tis so ; He hopes another and another year Till death, unlooked for, strikes the fatal blow. In mail like thine my being ever shall Of Life's bright Present wear its coronal." But let us assume a somewhat broader view; let us consider the present as a day, as a month, or even as a year, and pass unnoticed the record of our acts upon the slate of time until at the end of one of these periods, when a retrospection will reveal the employment of our time, putting on the one side our good deeds, on the other side the bad. Then it is, when an attempt is made to counterbalance these two accounts, that we will comprehend the value of diligence and good works. To-day, this hour, even this minute is the time to act. To-day form your ideals, arouse your ambition, and with all the po-energy of your soul strive to realize them. He who covets success must face obstacles almost unsurmountable, must suffer hardships almost beyond endurance, and must overcome the strongest of opposition with an iron will. Failures are but stepping-stones to greater effort. Let every one have a definite aim, and, having made a firm decision, let him push straight forward to the goal, in order that he may utilize in a profitable manner and to the best of his ability the allotment given him by Father Time, remembering that "Time and tide wait for no man," and that "The mill will never grind with the water that is past." The present is full of opportunities, and there is great advan-tage in alertness. Truly has Longfellow said: "Trust no Future howe'er pleasant! Let the dead Past bury its dead! Act, act in the living Present! Heart within and God o'erhead !" Now is the opportunity given of taking Time by the fore-lock and thereby accruing personal advantage. The idler has never performed any task worth mentioning. Men lacking energy are always destined to fail in Life's battle. Such a per- THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. I03 son is lost by the wayside while his companions surge on with the mighty throng endeavoring to scale the mountain of suc-cess. He who fails to progress in worldly conquest is but the retracer of his own footsteps, going about in a circle, as it were, whose radius differs in proportion to his ability. Personal advantage is gained only by instant action in event of possibil-ity for advancement. Opportunities great and small, the smaller tending always to greater ones, continually thrust themselves in our pathway, and ours it is but to embrace them and profit thereby. Every moment of youth is precious as gold, and al-most every hour determines one notch in the wheel of our destiny. Great men whose deeds have startled the world and whose lives have become history have been men of quick perception and of instantaneous action. Ancient and modern history fur-nishes many instances. Did Leonidas make his brave stand at Thermopylae except by grim determination and opportune re-sistance? Did Chas. Martel redeem Christianity except by nerves of steel and timely onslaught? Did Napoleon, the greatest soldier of the modern world, change the map of Europe except by realizing the might and strength of his power?—he of whom it is said: "Decision flashed upon his councils and it was the same to decide and to perform." Or did even a Dewey send a fleet to destruction except by his cognition of favorable circumstances? No indeed. Their convictions have been wholly different from those of the man of slow growth, he -who believes in the hand of Fate. They have been convinced of the fact that to do or die is the only policy in a supreme moment. So time rolls by, sealing every minute the fate of many men. How many lives are spent in vain? How many are wasted by degenerate living? On the sands of time are the foot-prints of the many. Echoing through the corridors of time resound the foot-steps of the few. These are the men of sterling worth, who have discovered the secret of human prowess, who have found the key to success, and who have performed their parts on demand. Now let us employ the future but a moment and • 104 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. hope that the time is coming when the youth of our land will adopt higher ideals, will more eagerly strive to attain them, and will be incited to greater individual effort thereby; while on the ocean of Life they hear the breezes sighing, "The mill will never grind with the water that is past." EVENTIDE. A GLORY gilds the distant hills, While the western sun sinks into the sea ; The golden light shines out more bright For the gathering shadows on the lea ; And then, as the mellow sunlight dies, The stars shine forth in the darkening skies, When the night is nigh. When joys are done, and the setting sun Of our dearest hopes thus sheds around A glory fair ere dark despair Comes like a cheerless night profound ; As fades the slowly dying light, Lo, stars of promise greet the sight In faith's clear sky, —W. G. in The Roanoke Collegian. TWILIGHT. THERE'S a sweetness in the air When the sun is low, And the sky is flushed and bare When the light winds blow. And the shadows come and go While the night bird calls Across the dewy meadows when the twilight falls. There's a sadness in my heart And the tears fall fast As I muse upon a day dream All too sweet to last; And my thoughts are of the past When the night bird calls Across the dewy meadows when the twilight falls. —B. F. G. in The College Folio. THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY Entered at the Postoffi.ce at Gettysburg as second-class matter VOL. XI GETTYSBURG, PA., MAY, 1902 No. 3 Editor-in-chief H. S. LEWARS, '03 Assistant Editors Exchange Editor Miss MARY WILSON, '04 SAM. P. WEAVER, '04 LYMAN A. GUSS, '04 Business Manager E. CARL MUMFORD, '03 Asst. Business Manager FRED. MASTERS, '04 Advisory Board PROF. J. A. HIMES, LITT.D. PROF. G. D. STAHLEY, M.D. PROF. J. W. RTCHARD, D.D. Published each month, from October to June inclusive, by the joint literary societies of Pennsylvania (Gettysburg) College. Subscription price, one dollar a year in advance; single copies 15 cents. Notice to discontinue sending the MERCURY to any address must be accompanied by all arrearages. Students, Professors and Alumni are cordially invited to contribute. All subscriptions and business matter should be addressed to the Busi-ness Manager. Articles for publication should be addressed to the Editor. Address THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY, GETTYSBURG, PA. EDITORIALS. Who does not love the Spring tide, the SPRING TERM. . , a , . ,,. . time of opening flowers, of budding trees and singing birds ? Surely everyone is glad for this beautiful season, and is happy to bid adieu to cold Winter. Our charm-ing poet, Ghaucer, loved the Spring, and somewhere says: * * "Whan that the month of May Is comen, and ±hat I here the foules singe, And that the flowers ginnen for to springe Farwel my boke and my devocioun." It would seem, when we consider the state of affairs here, that Chaucer is not alone in such sentiments. I do not mean that chapel exercises suffer lack of attendance or recitations a lack of preparation. But this feeling is present and manifests io6 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. itself to such an extent that when recitations are over if you want to find a fellow you look for him on the athletic field or in the woods. Now, this is without doubt beneficial, but liter-ary work suffers greatly on this account, and as a consequence, the literary journal must fall somewhat below its usual standard of excellence. Give plenty of time to exercise; it is a good thing, but there ought to be a reflex action from exercise upon work. Give a reasonable amount of time to athletics; the college depends upon it, but don't neglect literary work. ■^ It has been the custom for many years for SENIOR MEMORIAL. each, grad,uat.i.ng cl, ass to l, eave somet.h,.ing as a memorial. Most classes have planted an ivy vine to cling to the walls of the chapel, and every June a few of the mem-bers attending commencement paid it a visit and watered it if it was needed. Often during a hot summer the little vine cried out for water, but the scorching sun was sent instead, and as there was no kind hand to give it relief, it wilted and died. The present Senior class has another plan for its memorial, and instead of adding to the supply of ivy vines has decided to make a new walk leading from South College to the main road. This is a new departure and is one of the most commendable things done by any class for the institution. It has another feature in it, for every member of the class can aid in the work, and they have done so, for the preliminary work is finished. In future years when they visit the institution they will find no small pleasure in the thought that with their own hands they helped to make this walk. Next year when they are gone, the student rushing into the dormitory in the driving rain, will be spared the inconvenience of sinking six inches into the ground at every step, and will speak a benediction upon this thoughtful class. This walk is a fitting memorial for the class. CATALOGUE. The catalogue for this college year is pub-lished. As a whole it speaks improvement. The book itself has a chaste cover, and the printing and half- THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. I07 tone work reflects great credit upon the printers, Barbehenn & Little. Another elective has been added to the coarse, giving those who care to avail themselves of the opportunity another year in French. Hitherto, only one year was offered in French, and it was spent in the elementary study of the language. Another feature has been added to this department. Inter-national correspondence both in French and German has been arranged for those who care to avail themselves of it. This is very beneficial and &11 should welcome the improvement in the department and hence in the college. K^> EXCHANGES. THE exchanges for last month have arrived very slowly^ A few of them are very creditable, but a great majority have fallen far below their former standard. Lack of space will not permit any further review of them but we have quoted from the most creditable, in the body of the magazine. BOOK REVIEW. Vergil's Aineid. Books I—VI. Harlan Balard. Mifflin & Co., Boston and New York, #1.50. Houghton, It is a most difficult task to give a faithful translation of the works of a famous writer. The style of the original, the strength of diction, the intensity of feeling are often lost. Es-pecially is this true of poetry and on this account very few good translations are extant. In this translation the author has given a faithful rendition of the text. He has preserved the meter of Vergil—-the son-orous heroic hexameter, Those who cannot enjoy the poem in the original will find this an admirable translation. io8 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. A sk your bookseller to shewyou these books. Published by Hinds & Nobley New York. Songs of All the Colleges - - - $1.50 Songs of the Eastern Colleges ■ - 1.25 Songs of the Western Colleges ■ - 1.26 New Songs for Glee Clubs - .50 3 Minute Declamations for College Men '" 1.00 3 Minute Readings for College Girls - 1.00 New Pieces for Prize Speaking - - 1.25 Pros and Cons (Complete Debates) - 1.50 Commencement Parts,( Orations, Essays, etc.) 1.50 Established 1867 by Allen Walton. Allen K. Walton, Pres. and Treas. Robt. J. Walton, Superintendent. Hiimmelstown Brown Stone Compaq, QUARRYMEN and Manufacturers of BUILDING STONE, SAWED FLAGGING, and TILE, IALTONVILLE DAUPHIN COUNTY, PENNA. Contractors for all kinds of Cut Stone Work. Telegraph and Express Address, BROWNSTONE, PA. Parties visiting Quarries will leave cars at Brownstone Station, on the P. & R. R.R. RIDER AGENTS WANTED one in each town to ride and exhibit a sample 1902 model bicycle of our manufacture. YOU CAN MAKE $10 TO $BOA VKEEWbesides having awheel to ridefor yourself. I902 Models SfifiS $9 fo$l5 1900 and 1901 Models M B fl E K s E T s $7 f0 $(| 500 Second Hand Wheels^**, PA I a Ken iii trade by our Chicago retail stores, allyj 10yQ makes and models, good as new ~ ""^~ We ship any bicycle OH APPROVAL to any-one without a cent deposit in advance and allow You take absolutely no risk in ordering from us, as you do not need to pay a cent if the bicycle does not suit you. ItA DAT B5817 a wheel until you have written for our UU Kill DUI FACTORY PRICES & FREE TRIAL OFFER. Tires, equipment, sundries and sporting goods of all kinds, at half regular prices, in our big free sundry catalogue. Con-tains a world of useful information. Write for it. WANT a, reliable person in each town to distribute catalogues for us in exchange for a bicycle. Write today for free catalogue and our speoial offer. J. L. MEAD CYCLE CO., Chicago, III. 10 DAYS FREE TRIAL. . WE RECOMMEND THESE FIRMS. The Pleased Customer is not a stranger in our estab-lishment— he's right at home, you'll see him when you call. We have the materials to please fastidious men. J. D. LIPPY, HXEerelaia.rrt Tailor, 29 Chambersburg Street, GETTYSBURG, PA. CITY HOTEL, Main Street, - Gettysburg, Pa. Free Bus to an from all trains. Thirty seconds' walk from either depot. Dinner with drive over field with four or more, $1.35. Rates, $1.50 to $2.00 per Day. John E. Hughes, Prop. L. M. ALLEMAN, Manufacturers' Agent and Jobber of Hardware, Oils, Paints and Queensware, CETTYSBURC, PA. The only Jobbing House in Adams County. GHAS. E. BARBEHCHH. THE EAGLE HOTEL Corner Main and Washington Sts. | Roehiier's Cream of Roses For Chapped Hands, Face, Lips, and Rough Skin. Removes Tan and Sunburn. Gentlemen should use it after shaving. It cures razor pimples. Price, 25 cents. For sale at CODORI'S DRUG STORE. t B. ^zmillei1, Dealer in Hats, Caps, Boots and Douglas Shoes, GETTYSBURG, PA. WEIKERT & CROUSE, Butchers, Everything in this line we handle. GIVE US A TRIAL. Baltimore Street, - Gettysburg. COME AND SEE one of the larg-est, best lighted and equipped Modern Photographic Stndios in Pennsylvania, which will be oc-cupied about April 1st. Nos. 20 and 22 Chambersburg St. On opposite side of street from old stand. PATRONIZE OUR ADVERTISERS. AMOS ECKERT Latest Styles in HATS, SHOES AND GENT'S FURNISHING 4k 4* .Our specialty. WALK-OVER SHOE AMOS ECKERT Prices always right The Lutheran puhligjjing {huge. No. 1424 Arch Street PHILADELPHIA, PA. Acknowledged Headquarters for anything and everything in the way of Books for Churches, Col-leges, Families and Schools, and literature for Sunday Schools. PLEASE REMEMBER That by sending your orders to us you help build up and devel-op one of the church institutions with pecuniary advantage to yourself. Address H. S. BONER, Supt., THESE FIRMS ARE O. K. PATRONIZE THEM. E. H. FORREST liaiieliiw Beef, Veal, Pork, Lamb. Special rates to Clubs. * 1850^1902 * Our Name has stood as a guarantee of Quality for over half a Century JEWELiEH AND SIIiVE^SJVUTH 214 and 216 Market St., - . Harrisburg, Pa Latest Designs Prices Reasonable Chas. S. Mumper. ^^ FURNITRUE Picture Frames of all sorts Repair work done promptly will also buy or exchange any second-hand furniture. 4 Chambersbnrg St., - - - GETTYSBURG, PA. For a nice sweet loaf of Bread call on Baiter of Bread arxd. Fancy Cakes PATRONIZE OUR ADVEKTIZEKS. HOTBI GE GETTYSBURG, PA. Merville E. Zinn, Proprietor. G, The Leading Hotel. Rates $2.00 per day. Cuisine and Service First-Class. Long &. Holtzworth Livery Attached. CM4/V 6^oofo. tttill DQ. Seligman, Taiio*. 5 Chambefsbupg St., Gettysburg, Pa.