THE ALUMNI JOURNAL 81 



I sometimes wonder why it is, that all graduates come to this oc- 

 casion, commencement, feeling that they are going out to conquer 

 the world. The only reason, that I can find is, that the schools, in 

 trying to make the scholars feel, that they are getting their money's 

 worth, put this into their heads and drill it through the whole 

 course. I asked one of the most successful druggists of this city 

 what he would emphasize most if he were to address this class. He 

 scratched his head and said: "Let me tell you about myself. When 

 I graduated, I was the second man in my class. Now I thought 

 that possibly — that possibly — the first man knew more than I did, 

 but if he did, he was the only man in the world who knew more 

 than I did." And as a part of my task, I wish to reiterate that bit 

 of philosophy to this Senior Class. 



George Adam Smith tells a story. He is that famous English 

 lecturer. He tells a story of an Englishman and his guide, who 

 were climbing one of the loftiest of the Alps. They were climbing 

 up on the lower side, and just as they reached the summit, just as 

 they were about to step out beyond into the gale, the Englishman, 

 feeling so elated at his victory, was about to stand straight up on 

 the summit, and the guide brought him to a stop and said: "Down 

 on your knees, man; for your life, down on your knees." Had he 

 stepped up he would have met sure death, and I would like to say, 

 as a business man, to these graduates, responsible, as has been 

 said, for the health of a large part of the public, that if they go about 

 their work with any other frame of mind than "Down on your 

 knees," they will be failures. (Applause.) If there is any way 

 that by joke, by anecdote, by oratory or by wisdom this one simple 

 fact could be borne in upon a man. as he goes out into the world, 

 that is the greatest thing, I think, that could be given him as his 

 motto. 



You know Lord Bacon says "Mighty questioning increases 

 knowledge." And you know I feel that the reason many of our 

 farm boys make such a success of city life, is because, while they 

 are plowing corn and hoeing potatoes, their hearts and souls are 

 filled with wonder, as to what there is in the great world beyond. 

 I was a farm boy in the far West and have sat on my father's, 

 knees and listened with open heart to his telling of his hearing- 

 Jenny Lind sing down on the Battery years ago. And I have dur- 

 ing all my early years looked forward to the time when I possibly 



