Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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c* The Abbeville Press and Banner. BY HUGH WILSON. ABBEVILLE, S. C., WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 1887. VOLUME XXXI. NO. 31. . t MINE COLLEGE. The Sixth Intermediate Celebration of the Philomatheaa Literary Society. % EVIDENCES OF THE MERIT IN OLD ABBEVILLE'S INSTITUTION OF LEARNING. SjtcwhM, Thought nnd LanfiiRsc. of StndenU Which Vfonlti Reflect Credit on nny College in the ITnltrd States* trotting into one of Messrs. /V. M. Hill A Son's good buggies la>4 FrMny afternoon, Jul ly soon ciirricu us u> ajiic ?? t-M. Arriving in town before night we called at the office of the Associate Reformed Presbylcrictu, where we found Editor Uricr rvading his exchanges. The typographers were busy with live types, while Mr. Uontter was setting up a new engine which Is to run their Campbell press. The office has crown much since we first knew it. Thirty-live years ago, the office had only small fonts of small pien, long primer, brevier, &nd an old second-hand Smith haml press, on which was printed about five j hundred copies of a six-column paper called \ ilie Erskine Miscellany. Now, the establishment has improved presses paper cutters, fa- ' cllities for all sorts of Job work, and the rooms , are full of all kinds of printing material Of the old office, a small imposing stone only re-J mains. That stone wasoriginally intended to I mark the resting place of a departed citizen ; who had gone to his reward perhaps tifty years ago His friends failing to call at the ' mirble yard with the requisite amount of i cash, the reverse side from the inscription | waB dressed and solii to Mr. Samuel Jordan of, this county, somewhere In the forties,and was hv him used in the printing of his book, j "The Ensig* of Liberty, or the Willed One . JlBveolod.'" About 1818 or ISff the office was s>?ld to Dr. J. 0. Lindsay and Dr. J. I. Bonner. The press, the types, and ali else of the office of that day. save this stone, has disappeared, j It now stands conspicuous among half dozen ! o hnr imposing stones, and the sight of which ! carried oar thoughts baek to the days of our { boyhood Except Rev. J. X. Young, R-v. J. I O. Lindsay, D. D., Dr. J. L Miller, and Mr. J. | Y. Sitton. all of those men who were in Due j West In 1S51 have crossed the River and are at j rp?C 11 IS iriie umisumeui uic Uii.in 01 mn?, <rtay are tlnn-e yet. but we are speakln*?f the j grown Tnen at that time, anil who were in the j discharge of the activc duties of useful citizenship. Taking leave of the Presbyterian office we! spent the time very pleasantly among vari-J otas other friends until the appointed hour for Ine assembling of people to witness the j exercises of the Sixth Intermediate Oelchra- I twn of the Phllomathean Literary Society. I which took place in their splendid hall ill ! the Col'eye campus. On the walls of this j building hane the pictures of Dr. E. E. Pre<s- ! ly. Dr. R. C. Grler, and Dr. E. L. P.itton, each I of whom lia'l been Pre-ldent of the College. [ Dr. E. E. Prcssly -was the friend who seemed | anxious to enable the writer hereof In 1S59 to [ buy an Interest, in the paper which he still) prcats. He with others, signed the note; which sett'ed the editor or the Prcxnand Jinn- j ner at Abbeville. The remembrance of the cheerfulness and the gladness with which he helped a young man, without money and j without Influential relatives, has been ai source of much pleasure through all the intervening years, and has inspired him with dine ambition to prove worthy of Uie confidence and trust which was imposed in him Lhf>n. Buteoourh of this. Before the time appointed for the bczlnnlnjr of the exercises, the hall was well fillet), chiefly by the good people of Duo West. Among the distinguished eucsts were the Presidents, professors, teachers and students />f Itni.h the male and female colleges. Dr. Ed wards and a corps of musician* furni-sbed excellent music during the evening. The President'* Speech of Welcome. The President of the Society, Mr. J. K. Hood, called the meeting to order, and presided with the grace and dignity of a Roman j Senator. Calling the meeting to order President Ilood saki: Jyidir? and Gentlemen : It is needless for me to tell you thntynnr presence here this even inn affords us, the : mem hers of the Philomalhean Society, no omall degree of pleasure and encouragement.! To bid you weJcoiwe seems? useless repetition of what hits fre^?c-ntiy been satil on previous occasions of this character. But. in tlie lanj-'Masc of another, who was more cnpable of expressing tlie emotions that arose on something of a similar oeension, than are we, to your welcome we add, that "All our service In every point twice done, and then done douUe, were poor and single business to contend asainst the honor, broad and deep, wherewith y<?u load our" hall this evening. You have over honored us in times past with your presence. and we trust you have not had reasons j for considering the time spent with us during these exercises as a "talc that is told'' and j goire forever. As the programme indk-ates, the exercises will consist of declamalions and debates, j With the addition of an essay this has been ; the programme followed In preceding years.; Hnu-pvw' Itnnwin? Ili.it "hrevitv Is the soul . of wit." it whs thought best to dispense wllh ! tn5s,lest the exercises should becotne tedious. * We are sorry, indeed, to state I hat Mr. J. F. ' Ca'honn, who is confined to a lied of sickness, i Is unable to fulfill his part of the programme. I Many of you, who had the pleasure of hear- i Ing him a year ago, can sympathize with us ' in our misfortune It is my pleasure to introduce my friend j a id fellow-student. Mr. J. S. Sibley, of Au- j ' puKla, Georgia, who has been chosen "Senior j Orator" for this occasion. He will now al-1 dress you: SPEECH OF THE SENIOR ORATOR. I THE VALUE OF AN EDUCATED MIND?ITS I POWER FOR GOOD. Speech or J. S. Sibley, of Ansnsta. Ocorjcln* In this enlightened ago of the world, who j are they that sparkle like glittering isems In I the pioud tiara of a nation's glory ? Not those v ho in pursuing their own selfish schemes, "and trying to attain their own personal ends have not scrupled to sacrifice the interests! and lives of millions of their fellow-being*, not those who have used unfair and foul j means merely to gain celebrity ! no, none of> those, who bear these marks. Their names are loathsome blotches upon their nation's ml I QIKK. DUl UlOSt-, ?IIU (IIKCII null I minds of brilliant parts, have lieupcd up Immense stores of in valuable treasures, enrichin? and causing to blooin many a budding intellect, to adorn and perfume everything within Its compass. These characters do honor to their race aud have the greatest influence over it. The man of education in whatever community he lives is an instructor. Kstates are accumulated, bequeathed ami inherited. So is much of a uoou name aud social standing passed from sire to son; but cultured moral aud mental faculties are never bequeathed?never Inherited. They pass away with each individual possessor. They are too lieaveuly in their essence and influence fur one man to communicate them to another either by his own expressed will or the decrees of Courts. All that can be done is, by example, by persuasion, by enforced methods <?f study and discipline, to win the mind, to induce it to yield itself to that patient thought and labor, which, by degrees will open to it new fields of scicnce to he examined?new modes, new hopes, a new life. Whenever it is brought to repose in itseif that confidence in the exercise of which it is bold to undertake investigation without aid, it is an educated mind. This is that happy condition into which the instructor should strive to induce the immortal mind entrusted to his training it was from under the influence an educated inlnd that arose that undying man of whom Aaron Hill could say: O'er nation's laws God cast the veil of night, Out blazed Newton's soul aud alt was light, lijjbt." In every community, In every ward of the elty?everywhere is seen and heard and felt the moulding, the building, of the teacher. Who will unueruiKc 10 uruw uip uiviuiug uuc where this Influence ceases? Who will venture to predict the results to be expected from the material now in process of training? It is as true of an educated man Mi at be is an example in his community as that he is an Instructor. It Is probably impossible for any mind to be passive or inert Much less would it be possible for an educated one to be so. One of the characteristics of an educated mind is to make it's possessor a;eressive?to Impel him forward to higher plains?to climb every I'isgah that borders a promised land. But were such a mind ev?r otherwise thnn progressive still its power would be felt. Whohas not been forced to admit the powerful Influeuce of a mere presence? Who has not seen the profane lips become palsied as n respected |ierson jolt ed himself to the company or even passe by? The robheror murderer docs noilurk In tli shadow of the church for hlR prey. The pre cnce of such a building ts too sacred for sue an evil to thrive so near it. as in the natur: world there are forces unseen, but felt, ths draw each In Its own proper direction. So in the mental and moral world thet arc furccs thai draw that, on which It is the! province to act in its own legitimate dtrei lion. Gravitation draws towards the centri masnetism to tlie polls?the educated min draws upwards. Whcr Issues of Importance are to b -l?l. ...Li. mlri/l Jc fl VI amid dangers, surveys the surrounding j keeps to its moorings while the tide is Inv but rides out on Its flow. It. Inspires conf dence In tho hours of trouble, imparts strengt in the midst ot trial, and kindles stars of hop even In the firmament of doubt. Tlie educi ted mind is not only influential within neon munlty, hut without, as well. It Is broader field in which the educated mln exerts Itself. Ilow many of us know in whr age, in what century Kuclid was born; an i yet what thousands on thousands that niln i has drilled? It matters not what wasthepui J pose in writing, lhinyan wrote to lighten tli hours of his Imprisonment but the nations? e;irth lirtve rend, admired, and many hav been converted by what he said. The ml." slonary of the cross goes into India and wit a tongue unskilled in the slrange langnagt announces tlif doctrine of the true faith, i ray of light from this higher mind falls o [another mind, and then another, and s on from one stammering tongue, thelonel man, starts a ripple that will not be brokei until It touches the coast of heaven. Spin gton and Talinage arc seen going into till street and our of yon one, attending to th spiritual want* of their thousands of parisl iouers. with apparently no time for augh else; but on Sabbath mornings there com from these well stored and diseiplined mind words that not only thrill those that hear, bu which are read the following week in thou sands of homes. Can anything but eternlt; measure such Influence? Of all suchitwil one day he said as it tias been of Fox: "Their lives did not end when theyylelde< their breath, Their elory lllumlues the sadness of th grave." These are only examples of a thousand ccn tresfrom which educated, nubile minds an b'azing as stars in tlie mental firmament The sun pours his light on the moon. He own strange and deep mountain gorges an lighted np She In turn tours it down on tin earth, and all our landscapes are illumined if ?lor?v of shadowed llgli t. What are tlie grea minds to which reference has been made bu suns In the mental and moral world? ICact receives from every other, combines (lie trlb ute of all, disperses It nil around, brineing ou a star here and yonder, until the whole arcl of all the nation's lines is mlrrowed In tlx history of legislator and jurist, In book an< periodical, in clergyman and layman! If then, I lie educated mind is so diffusive, so profustve, so improving, and withal so peculiar ly lie individual's own fortune, which n?; goodwill can bestow, cold cannot buy! and o which nothing can deprive the owner, not loss of limb, not loss of health, or sight 01 any sense, what should we not sacrifice to at tain it? Why such differences among men! Webster and Gladstone shape the policy oi nat ions, while others not less endowed by niltore move not a township. It is not In th< sinew, not in the hone, it is in tlie cultivate! brain, not in tlie brain as so many ounces o matter, but in tlie cultivated and trainee source of thought. "Within the brain's most secret cells A certain Lord-chief-Justice dwells. Of sovereign power, whom on<>andni|. With common voicc we reason call." EIERCiSES IK DECLAMATION. MEMBERS OF THE FRESHMAN AND SOPH OMORE CLASSES APPEAR IN GENEROUS RIVALRY. The People arc PIcrsmI Wllh Theii Efforts, nml Awnril Them Theli Hl^lieit I'rnises. At the conclusion of Mr. Sibley's speech the following programme of exercises was then pone through with, excepting the omis sion of Mr. Calhoun's speech, as announced by the President in his speech of welcome: FRESHMAN RECLAIMERS. The True Source of Reform?W. I. McDavid Due West, S C. Dangers of Our Prosperity?M. M. Ross BlairsNille, S. C. SOPHOMORE DECL AIMERS. Andrew Jackson?J. F. Calhoun, Due West S. C. America, the Complement of CivlllzationR II. Henderson, Coronaca, S. C. Theyoune gentlemen acquitted themselves most creditably, but as their speeches wer< ? ?"'? no ??thlnn ?".f eloquence, their grace of trimmer, or tlicli powers of oratory, we ask the reader to tuk< our expression of pleasure at their efforts, ir lieu of their speeches. The original speeches which are to follov are remarkable for purity of stylo, and ele sranceof dlc.tion, while the authors, in a mod est way, give convincing proof of famiiinrltj with the subject under discussion, the whole gives the best evidence of the thorougimesi with which the students have oecn taught. SUBJECT OF THE DEBATE : WHICH HAS HAD THE GREATER INFLUENCE OVER ENGLAND, ANGLO-SAXON OR NORMAN-FRENCH 1 Messrs. Bricc and Knox Sot Forth th( ClniiiiN or the Aitgio-Nnxoii Side o the QiiCMtion, While Messrs. Itch nml tirier Artiuc oil the Side o the Xorman-Freneh. The Commlttcof Decision were: J. K. Ilood of Due West; J. B. Cochran, of Query's X. C.; It. A. Lee, of Due West. The marshals were: U. L. Drown, Charlotte X. C.: C. P. Wilson, Taoy, Tunn.; D. K. El liott, Wlnnsboro', S. C. The weather was a delightful winter eve nine, aud the audience were as orderly a possible. The marshals hud no other duty to perforn than which i* imposed in showing visitors t [ seats In the hall. The courtesy and attentio] i of the marshals to each and every one, mad all feel glad to be the guests of dignified am polite young gentlemen. I The string band, under the leadership, c j Dr. Edwards of Due West, furnished tli I choicest music at proper times. The variet; | and excellence of the whole pertornianc l interested the auditors from first to Inst, j The President In appropriate and happj terms introduced successively the speakers THE GOVERNMENT OF THE ANGLO-SAXO] FAR EXCEEDS THAT OF THE NORMAN-FRENCH. Speech of K. George Rrice, of Wood wards, S. C. Mr. President, Gentlemen of the Committee, La die* and Gentlemen : ll.v the question which has had more infli ene'e on the English people, Anjjlo-JSaxon o Norman-French, we mean which has contril uted more to the present condition of Enj lilliu. UHlif Hi IS U# greater extent {riven to England ihe standln she now has among the nations of the world Which has acted the most prominent part li shaping or working out her destiny? Enf lanu to-day Ih recognized as the most powei ful nation on the globe in respect to milltnr affairs, and Ik as strong as any other in a lltei ary point of view. Her possessions exten clear around the world. A writer lias apprc priately said that "on Englaud's possession the sun never sels." She has furnished to th world some of the brightest geniuses thu have ever adorned the bright, pages of histori Her literature has found its way into the 1 brarles of almost every civilized country < the world. Tlio story of her sages, philost d pliers, poets, orators and statesmen has been i? told in the most distant lands. Hergovernd ment, too, is acknowledged by r11 to he l>etter le fur that country than all of the different s- forms of government ol the whole world, h Looking at the wealth, prosperity, and powll er of this great nation We kjiowatonce that it she is irdebted to something or someone for It. Now. planting that she owes alt this to ihe e two elements, Anglo-Saxon and NormanIr French, the question arises, to which of the s- two is she most indebted for her prosperity ? U'lilnii nf ihn lu-n the IllOStDrOmi* il nent part in working out her destiny? This subject wo propose to divide into two heads: >e 1st. Character of the people and their literan tore. n, 2nd. Their government and manner r, My colleague will show to yott that the lltcr1 ature of the Anglo-Saxons has had a greater h influence on the English people than the Nor? mail-French. He will also show to you that, i- the character of the Anglo-Saxons tirexcelled i- that of the Norman-French, and that it was a the chief eh-tnent In forming the English nad t ion. While I shall attempt to prove to you it that the govern men Is of the Anglo-Saxons far d excelled that of the Norman-French, and that d many of their laws, habits and customs have r- been handed down to the English speaking e people ol to-day, and are still in use In Amer f lea and England, I shall show to you that ejmany of the most Important institutions of England to-day are only those of the Angloh Saxons in an Improved state. I shall attempt to prove to you that the Eng\ lish Parliament, Jury system, prime minister, n courts and other parts of the government or o Kngland of to-d.iy have descended directly v from the ancient Anglo-Saxons. Before going " I . lw.?? ,ii? n 11110 inn uenme it-i u? k*-c iiv>>? ?>hoc ump tlnct elements happened to be In England. > The inhabitants of what is now known as e England having been deserted by the Roman i- army were hard pressed by the barbarians, t and t hey were looking around for help. With e promises of land and pay they persunded the s saxons to aid them. "Then sad relief, from t the tileak coast that hears the German ocean i- roar, deep blooming, strong and yellow hair r ed, the blue-eyed Sitxon came"?they came to 1 ?tay?to settle a people and found a state. We are told that they were ari Industrious and j stubborn people. Their hair grew long down on their necks which had never been bent to p any man. It Is said of them that they could not be conquered. With overwhelming forces they ink-ht be crushed, but conquered, never. This tralt of character has descended to the p Englishman to-day. That Is what made Eng: land what she now is. Her people are brave r and stubborn: their motto ever Is ' never give up,"and In a great, measure Englwnd owes her ? power to this trait of character which they in1 herited from their Anglo-Saxon foretathers. Next, let us notice the Norman-French. 1 The Normans were a set of "daring and rapa1 i clous warriors," who in the ninth century penetrated France and settled there. 1 In lOfi'i the Normans, in their well-knit coat 1 of mail, with sword and lance In hand, in? vaded England and conquered it In the single ' battle of Hastings. They were in a hostile . country and ruled by the sword what they had conquered by the sword; they soon be came oppressors, the King went from a show 1 ' 4ox/vAlf(t Un nnnrnnriafoil fhA ?>l JU'IHC l?? .CM., I soil, levied taxes nnil built castles lor himself. Men wore forced to eat human flesh under the r pressure of consuming famine. The perish ins sold themselves to ohlaln food. Every ? Norman soldier was made a baron with the T Saunas his slave. Vi liases were destroyed to make a huntine eronnd for the King. In i ' other words the Inhabitants, the Saxons, were I so completely conquered that it was six renf tnrles before they could overthrow their NorI man oppressors. i Having now briefly noticed the manner in which each of these two elements came into ! Great Britain, letVus now turn to the debate: i ' The Anglo-Saxons" says Faine. "were a < <ea-fai1nx people and devotcil much of their time to the sea." Now. let us turn to Eng- i laud and In fact the whole English speaking i peopleof io-da.v.and wliatdowesee In respect i to their commerce? Along their whole coast, i here and there, you find ports swarming with her vessels The high seas arc whitened by < her sails, while there is not a known countr}* j . on the face of the earth into whose waters the i rallant ships of England do not sail. I ask now, if this is not a great influence that.our ] \ii?lo.Saxon forefathers have exerted on tlie people of to day. for it is to them thai we iitributc our seafarinsr nature. Following their example, the English people have been ! enabled to scatter their produce to all parts of . I he world, while their people are enabled to obtain the luxuries of other countries. Every part of England during Anelo-Saxon supremacy was divided into shires. To- | day she is the same. England is divided i inlo small blocks, each of which is called a . shire. This custom has remained In England j since the days when the Saxons held sway 1 and Is only a small one of the many customs of the Anglo*Saxt>ns which the English peo ! J/IV" "till (uuinc v? ? rio *" " ?"f * ** the ancient laws of the Anglo-Saxons still re- 1 main the same, ntul Indeed on Ihc statute 1 ' book of England to day may ho round laws written in the Anglo Saxon language. Greene, In his history of the English people, 1 says that the greater pnrtof the Anglo-Saxon J laws arc still In use in England,and that most ! of the laws of England to-day are founded on , ancient Anglo Saxon laws. Laws that for I centuries have passed down, generation nflcr 1 generation has used them and found them i sufficient for the governing of the people. We 1 . will not go into the whole code of laws to ' prove tills to your minds, but will give you ' one example and only one. It was one of the r laws of the Anglo-Saxons, that. In the division of the property all th? sons, legitimate ! r and illcgetimatP,shared the property equally, J dim'.'liters getting nothlnsr. What is the law , of England to-day In reference to this? It is I the same and written in the same wordR as was that of the Anglo-Saxons. Search the * pages of Ulackstone. the mighty law expound. c;r of England, and In them will be found not only arcient Anglo-Saxon expressions but ' even rules and laws laid down that were used ,* by this ancient race. The fact lliat many of > the laws of England to-day are the same as ilie ancient Anglo-Saxons and written, too, s some of them, in the Anglo-Saxon language, we say is undeniable proof of tlie great Influence that the Saxons had on the English i speaking people of today. Need I tell you, gentlemen, that even our days of the week arc naineu aucr intir sou*. As I have said, the government of England Is acknowledged by all to be the best that could be found for that country. Her rule Is < . mild. Ilor Parliament, like onr Congress, fiames the laws of the lnnd and seeks after the welfare of the subjects of the land. The Englishman proudly points to the Parliament and prime minister of the English government and would exchange his form of government for no other kiiown form of government ? in the world. 1 The members of Parliament are chosen from among the people, while her prime min ister Is the leader ot the people, and is looked j- upon as the people's friend. ]>ow, Mr. President and Gentlemen of the Committee, we propose to show that this form of government, this Parliament and Prime Minister of Eng' land, are of Anglo-Saxon origin. On ques'? tli.ns of war and pencennd in transact Ins other Important business the Anglo-Saxon King , and wise men met in council. The warriors met. armed, and expressed their approval by rattling on their armor,?their dissent, by murmurs. "This," says Welsh, "was after, wards known as the Parliament of the great Kingdom of England." Greene, in speaking s of the English Parliament says, "Parliament is the same form as was the council In which the Anglo-Saxon King and chiefs met for the purpose of transacting business." n We think, gentlemen, that this proves con i cliisively that this great form of government. , this great body of law makers, is 01 aurio1 Saxon origin. Of course it is In an improved J J state, but still the seed Unit were sown by the Anglo-Saxons are still to be seen growing. f No one will deny that England Ik nroudof her " Parliament. A writer in his essay on Enge lis'i people -ays, "Hut to all of English birth l- ordesecnt its irrcat srlory Is that in it the Institntion which is Eneiand's chief pride to c have founded?Parliament?flrst grew and was shaped into Its present form." f The mere fact that Parliament is derived from n French name, does not say that It Is a L French Institution. It was founded by the Anglo-Saxons, but afterwards took a French name. America was discovered by Columbus but took Its name from Amerlcus Vespucius, a German writer, who perhaps never left the Eastern continent. Among the f*axon nobility there was one who was the King's chosen confidant, the knowor of secrets, the counsellor. "This." says Welsh. "W!H afterwards be known as the I* prime minister of England." Here we might, rest, our arguments so far as the Influence of the government Is concerned. !- fori have plainly shown you that many of the laws are derived from the Anglo Saxon >- laws, that the English inherited a seafaring >r life frorn the Saxons, by moans of whish"she > has made herself wealthy. I liuvo shown you J- that the English Parliament and the prime a minister are of Saxon origin. To my mind g those prove conclusively that the Anglo-Sax? ons bad the greatest Influence In forming the u habltsand government of England. England has only one form of government, and I have r- nlnlnlv shown von that It Is of Anirlo-Saxon y orijrin. r- Hut we will pass on to another feature of d this government which Is reearded by tho > people as the palladium of their liberty. A s system which, though It has been attacked on e all sides and by rll8tlne:ulshed men, yet dcitsp'te all tliIk It still stands as firm and as f.; s rong as a house which Is built on a rock. 1- The batteries of critics and enonitcs have ever >f been turned on it. yet It still stands a* a relic >| of a once glorious and happy peoplo. A peo pie which we prove to yon to hnveexerte I the greatest Influence In working out the destiny of the English nation. The system we speak of is the Jury system. It is true that tills jury system has faults?we do not mean to i rgue that it has none, for no work or human land nor any human Institution exists that h is no faults The Jury system was formed by man and like him hns many and grievous fttults, yet with all tills we claim that It. Is the only system that comes nearest to metingoiK Justice to all. Says Blackstone It comes nearest to the lmpartlollty of heaven than any other form ot trial known. Tills system of trial Is practiced in nearly every civilized coi.ntry on Hip irinhp- nml Is considered tlie erf atest form of trial known, and forms 011c or' the chief features of a government. No VP, sirs, we moan to <=how to you thn . this institution is of Anglo-Saxon origin. To do so we will quote you a paragraph from Welsh's history of the English people. Says he, "In the earliest days of the Anglo-Saxon people each crime was held to have lieen committed by nil who were related to the doer of It. and against all who were rclntcd lo the sufferer?from this sense ol the value of the family tie sprung up the rudiments of English Justice. So strong toras this family tie that the kinsman of the accused were his Judges, and by their oath be stands or falls." In their British homes these Judires were a fixed number, and thus was planted the germ from which the present Jury system sprung. Greene, in his history of the English peopla. makes almost the same statement as Welsh does. We claim now, gentlemen, that this fact alone is sufficient for proving our side of the question. This Jury system, the greatest fof m of trial ever formed by man, and so far as we know, the greatest that ever will be formed, has noequal. Different nations have resorted lo various forms, and after repeated failures have come to the conclusion that the Jury system is the only means of trial by vrhlch justice may be meted out to all. It may be claimed by our opponent" that ihp Inrv svsl.pm was of Noroian French ori gin. There has been quite a discussion on this subject, and nil of tliem have acknowledged in the end that the Anglo-Saxons were the originators of it. Welsh, in his development of English literature and language,says that the Jury system was established by Ethelred II, nn Anglo-Saxon King, nnd this, too, prior to the conquest of England by the Norman-French. Now, airs, we wish you to notice that point. We reler you to Welsh and Greene as our authorities. and they are always ucccptcd as authority nn such points. Our opponents will tell you and will even boast Chat the Norman-French excelled the Anslo-Saxons in architecture. We ncknow*!edge tba? the Norman architecture was more developed than that of theSnxons, but at the same time we claim that the fact that one nation excels another in architecture Is no proof of its influence over a nation, either in its literature, government or Its hnbiis. We say that architecture is developed as a nation advances. For example, look nt our own UnitedStntes. In its early days the settlers lived in hovels. The log hut was always their plan of building. hut now alter the lapse of nearly three hnndrcd years, what do we sec? What n contrast wc see between the palaces of to-day and the log huts of our forefathers. The nation has ad mn ced and as It advanced Its arcii I lecture was developed, and to-day the architecture of the United States is equal to Unit of any other nation on the globe. Now, gentlemen. to sum up my argiwnents: I think I have plainly shown to you that the English people inherited their seafaring nn lure from the Angio-saxons. i navesnownio you that many of the laws which were In use during Anglo-Saxon supremacy are still the same In Enzland, and that many of the laws r>n the statute book of England to-day arc written In Anulo^Saxon. I have shown you that the English Parliament, the great, body i)f law makers of England, Is of Anglo-Saxon origin. Also, that- the English prime minister was Introduced by the Anglo-Saxons and, lastly, but among the greatest of all, I he Anulo-Saxons were the originators of the present |ury system, the greatest form of trial known to the civilized world. With these remarks, honorable Judges, I leave my side of tlie question with you. ENGLAND WAS LARGELY MOULDED BY THE NOBMANS. ? Spccch of E. L. Rei<l, of Sard!*, X. O. This queslion aa to who our ancestors were nndasto whose Influence has moulded us Into the people we are, Ik one of Interest and importance, we trust, to our audience, and soon It Is to be decided, at least for to-night, whether we have heen made the people we ure to day from Saxon or Norman Influence since we are so closely connected with the ICnulish nation. Wc here mention the fact thut from the oppression which the Saxons suffered at the hands of their Norman cotiqnerers and Irom the pride that wc feel thai Saxon blood flows in our veins, popular opinion isagainst the Normans, and popu(?r sympathies are stronely awakened In lavor of ..... Jm.in Ko*nn impoKinrs. Hut we ask the audience and Judges lo go with lis without their prejudice, since they can admlt thnt England was moulded larcely from Norman Influence without admitting anythin;: to the discredit of Anglo-Saxons. Before entering fully into the discussion it -hould he noticed that the question does not mean which race hud the greater influence on England at any particular time or in any particular respect, but which has exerted the wider influence since the conquest in every particular. The lirst argument that we mention is that the civilization of the Englishman at the lime of tin* Norman conquest wjib far from being Anglo-Saxon entirely. This islam! had been conquered three times prior to the Norman invasion, and each conquest indelibly stamped the civilization of the conquerer on tiie future nation. Without waiting to notice the Koinan conquest we come to the Saxon In the fifth and sixth centuries. The Saxons at tills time were even more barbarous than the old Ilritalns then inhabiting the island, and by numbers and sheer brute strength the Saxons became masters of (he country, the former inhabitants being killed or destuoyed almost entirely, but still a. eoully numberof them were driven to the Western part of the island, now called Wales, where they found retime from their cruel invaders, and from wlichee they slowly intermingled with their Saxon conquereis and slowly,but surely, infused into them their civilization. Hut the most important influence brought lo bear on the civilization of the old Saxons was that of the Danes. These began Inln Ihn /Minnli-V in Mir. IIJ (IIUISC tlll il Hiiwrt\in ... ,MV eighth century and continual it with little intermission for nearly three hnndreil years. Twice they completely subjugated it and governed It for nearly a century under Canute and tils successors. Being virtually tho same race and speaking nearly the same language (hey easily intermingled with their Saxon subjects, and ihey too soon became one people and had one civilization which both races went largely to make up. We know tlint mast English writers are unwilling to admit that the Saxons imbibeii anything from their Danish conquerers. DcQulney speaks of the strong prejudice of Kngllsli on this point. But whether they admit it. or not fact remains. It is inconceivable how it could be otherwise. Let any two races he brought into close contact as were the Saxons and Danes for three centuries and they will necessarily imbibe the characteristic of each otiier'n civilization. Welsh says. In speaking of the Danish invasion: '"When we consider) that the invaders were more than half tiie invaded, it is impossible but that they In-1 fused into them a large part of their civiliza Hon and language." He also says that their! Intiuenee was much more on the Saxons than Is generally ceded by writers. One special influence of the Danes oil England was to make her a seafaring nation, which has gone far to make her the mighty nation she Is to day. Wc wish the Judges to notice t he fact above mentioned as the affirmative may claim that this was Saxon influence since the Danes were assimilated with theSiixons before the Norman conquest. But in arguing this question we are not to consider England as entirely Saxon at the time of the conqucst. We cliilm that what little civilization was in the country was duo lurgely to the Danes and other foreigners of whom Humo states, u goodly number wore Induced tosettle in the island ill the tenth century by the reputation of Iidcnr. Thus we see, the people themselves were largely of other races, and Harold, the greatest Saxon kind after Alfred, was ft Danobyhis mother. When these facts are considered ws find that a lnrce amount of the influence on England attributed to the Saxons must he conceded to other races. Let us now look at these two races before the conquest. Here Hallam remarks: "The Saxons brought with them from their original forest at least as much roughness as any of the nations that overturned the Roman Empire." He sa.vs that no people wore ever..so given to robbery, to frnvs, and to rlotf. On thlsjolnt Hume says: "With regard to the manners of the Angjo-Saxons we can say little but that they ivefe a rude, uncultivated people, ignorant of letters, unskilled In the mechanical arts, untrained to submission under law and government; addicted to intemperance, riot and disorder.". r rum uun we bcc m?it *???. 'wa*>iih ?? rough, barbarous tribe, with very, little clvilziitlon.aifd with all the arta In the very rurfcststute, Oa the other hahd the Gorman French werea refined and educated people' ! lor that aire. In fact, they were the most civ-1 lilzed nation in Europe at that time. Theyi ! had retained all That was good of their Nor-j | man ancestors, and had imbibed all the better qualities of the French, as Green says, In sulisiance. "The latest conqUerers were also! the best>" says Creasey, h> comparing the scv- j era! races that conqncred the Island, "and In | spite of our sympathies with Harold and our | ahhorel?ce for the founder of the New Forest and the desolalor of Yorkshire, we must con-1 fuss the superiority of the Normans to the Anglo-Saxons whom they met here in 11X56." So we see, since the superior Is always capable of exerting a wider Influence than the | Interior, the Norman was capable of exerting a wider influence on the future of the nation, | wlilcii tliey were anout to lorin, man me ^nxons. These are the two rnees which tlic battle of Hastings broii'iht into such clo?e contacton the lllh of October. lOGii; and It is staled on good authority that liere almost the whole Saxon nobility were killed, which, of course, lessened their Influence In the future. A direer. result of this conquest was I the uniting of England into one consolidated kingdom. She, under the reign of her first I Saxon kings, was divided into s^ven petty | kingdoms called I lie heptarchy, and although two of them were more powerful than the j others, and ex icied tribute from them, yet they had never brought England under one king, nor made the peop e one. Green says, In remarking on this, "Hut through the who'e of this earlier-age, prior to the conquest, every attempt to fuse the various tribes into a single nation had failed. But the Norman duke, by one single blow, brought all Eng- 1 land under his iion sceptre, where he by stern and Impartial rule moulded the country into one nation and Into one people." Again, a direct result of this conquest, and of Norman origin, was the feudal system, which in aftertime played such an Important part , In English affairs. That this system was of 1 Norman origin wo deem nnnecessaiy to prove, as it is an universally conceded faet, and we take it. for granted that the afflrmative will not deny it. In less than twenty rears from the battle of Hastings all the English lands were divided out by the Conqnercr to his barons as a reward for their services, 1 and the old Inhabitant" were reduced to the most abject slavery. We now ask anyone, w'inl influence on Ihe civilization or the ' country could a people have in such circum- ( stances. Here it may he argued bv (he affirmative , thntlhe Saxons formed the lower strata of socicty, and being the more numerous class ' moulded the fuiure character of the nation. But we say that one Norman under these cir- , cuinstanees exerted a wider influence than a ; hundred of his subject". As a parallel ease, witness the results produced by the ancient Greeks, who, though few in number, spread their civilization and lansruage over Asia .Minor and Southern Europe, simply by their superiority, and by being masters of these coun- ' tries as the Normans wcrt; of England. Here, for three centuries, they ruled the kingdom as they pleased, filled all the offices of both church and state, In which time the whole country and nation assumed a Norman as- | pcct, and thenceforth she was a nation, formed by Norman influence, so completely did , this race implant their civilization into the English nation that Greene says: "As we vis- i It Normandy nowadays, it is English history , that surrounds us, and every hamlet has memories for English ears." The feudal system also exerted a wide Influence on the nation as a mill try power since I i?% titia ? ..?. ^i?ft n?,In ta tenon hprsr?lf arm od to the very tcetli whl<'h then she was ublc to do In no other way. The nation thus armed withstood the ai tacks or ull the continent at nations. It is without a paralel in the history of the world tiiat a small island near the mainland should maintain a powerful independent nation. To what then more naturally than the feudal system, which was sueli an cflcctual means of defense, can we attribute this deviation from the natural order of things. Closely related to the feudal system and the form, in which it developed itself ino-t benetlciently. was the spirit of chivalry as it then existed in England. This spirit first showed itself in this country among the feudal barons, as was said, they having been Inspired with the spirit before they came to England. It Is claimed by good writers that the knight-hood of the middle ages did more towards raising England with the rest of Europe from the depths of superstitb n and ignorance than any other Institution of the day. Marcus AV'ilson says, in regard lothls institution. "In an age of darkness and superstition chivalry developed the character of Norman and causing her virtues to be appreciated and honored tnnde her the equal companion of man." "The loveof <?od and the ladles," says Hallam, "was enjoined as a single duty." The latter part of which I think would scarcely hi* ; necessary to en fore. What, the Influence of J woman thus elevated would be on the future | nation,,\vc think unnecessary to point out to . our honorable judges. lles?rltijr more Immediately on the subject of politics the Normans l>y their conquest brought England directly Into contact with , the continental powers. Normandy being sub- j Ject to the same king with England and Im- | mediately on the French bonier brought j these two nations together in this district and j in fact was the very cause of that amending < enmity between tnem. I It is this continual hostility that has made | England the military power she Is to day. < Since the conquest there has been a constant strife as to who should rule Normandy. To , this we attribute the origin of all the Franco- I English wars and of course whatever effects j these wars may have had In moulding the | character of the nalion. And who can esti- , mate the result upon a people, of geucration after generation of war with another power? , Whether the Influence be good or bad does | not concern us a', present. Also from tl.e ] very days of the conquest emigrants from | Franco and pspecia'l.v from Normandy pour- < ed into England, since there was attractions | for them In a country ruled by one of their , kings. On tlie other hand Saxon emigrants j by the thousands were pushing to the South* | eastern part of Europe there to escape the encroachments of the Normans who were at , that time saving other parts of the continent. , This assertion is backed by the'authoiily of | Ila I lam, who Is considered by critics one of most Impartial of English historians. Hence | we see that, while the Normans were fewer | Immediately after the conquest, In the long run the two races were more equally ba'aneed. \ Hearing still on the question In hand and , especially on the politics we hero mention a , fact not generally known, but none the less | true, and that is the abolition of slavery by , William the Conqueror. The slave trade In j the mo?t cruel and degrading form was car- . rled on in England prior to this time. Our people arc too lately freed from this curse not , to know what a great blessing the Norman ' bestowed on England when he abolished slavery. And as authority we hero quote a > sentence from Green, lie says In speaking of . this subject. '-An edict yet more honorable , to William's humanity put an end to the < slave trade which had till then been carried | e\t\ cif t hft nf Upltitnl." , By comparing the influence on our own Southern slates of the abolition of slavery we can appreciate the Influence of the Normans on England In this particular. In dealing with this question all sup the difficulty In pointing out dlflniiely (lie influence ot the Normans from that of the Saxons, but here Is a fact that all can see and must of necissity (jo fur towards show Ing theNorman influence. This is wiint the respective races did towards develooing England into a nation among their respective rules. Wo find that the .Saxons ruled the country fi centuries prior to the | conquest. In all this time they did very little | in developing any of the mighty characteristics of the present English nation. The Saxons were little more civilized in lOflU than i they were 6 centuries before when they came to the island. j | They had no written code of laws and rob- j bery and crime of every kind were prevalent! in the country. Kroin the frequent reference j to the laws of Edward the Confessor in history this may seein false, but as proof of tliis | Hailain says. The laws afterwards called Edward's wore forged. It lies been deemed | more rational that these longings for Edward's laws were ru'hcr meant for u mild administration of government free from Nor-1 man rule than any written and definite sys-i tcm." Thus we see the Anglo-Saxons had j done very little towards forming England into <tnation up to this time and Creasey says . "Small had been the figure which sho made in the world before the coming over of the' | Normans and without them she never would j have etnergud front insignificance.'' i j Hut soon after the Normans assumed the reigns of government wo see England in quite another aspect. They immediately stopped the Incursions of the Panes, estahillvliAil n written eoile of laws, bllilt cre.lt . mansions and castles, gave education a:i impetus and lu lcs* I ban a century luul the nation fairly on the way to civilization. These are facts that cannot lie denied aiul must he attributed to the Normans since as, we said, i the Saxons had been on trial for six centuries without doing any thing towards elevating tlie people, (irecn says here '"In a word it 1* to the stern discipline of our foreign kings that we owe not only English wealth and English freedom hut hnglNIi herself," Let uk now notice the most important of nil the Norman Influences, which is tiieestabishtnentof the English liberties). From the conI stunt strife between the barons and the king which began soon after the conquest, csmc the famous Magna Charta which Anderson says was the very Pallatllnm oj Englisii liber-; ties, and Ila'llam says. "It is still ihe key-, stone of our liberties." It.h'if.tters not what other influence the Saxons may have had on ' I ? their conntry, without their liberty they would ail have accomplish^ 1 little. Nev- < er In the history of the w?>Md has a nation risen to uny eminence when they i were under the iron sceptre of an absolute i monarch. So with England, Imd uot the ( Norman barons wrested the Magna Chartu 1 from John thus limiitug his powerand making J i England a limited monarchy. Never would I she liave risen to her present position among 11 the powers of the world. Without iibenyall | other influences brought to bear on a nation . arc lost. Therefore we claim that this one ' influence of the Normans Is over and above i every other of either race and counterbalances the most powerful influences of the I Saxons. Growing from tills Magna Charta Is the English parliament of to-ilay which we i have not lime to argue, but will simply say with Mr. Ander-on, an eminent American historian, that parliament is the development of ( that council consisting of 24 men, which were appointed to enforce this charter. Here we would he led Into another long argument showing the influence of the Normans as the founders and originators of par- ' liament but will close by saying. On that memorable day on which John signed the ! Magna C'harta was the birthday of England's greatness, 011 that day she assumed her ! queenly app irel and thereforth was destined lo be the first nation of the world and in this ( very thing the Norman exerted an influence 1 that counterbalances all the saxion ever did 1 for his country. 1 THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE RECEIVES ITS BEAUTY, FORCE, AND AD>PTABIL- 1 ITY FROM THE SA*ON. Speech of J. P. Knox, of llnntcrsvllle, North Carolina. It now remains lor me 10 prove to you mat , the languageand litemtureof England sprung! from the Saxons. This wc propose to present , under three general heads. 1st. All their sacred writings; -2nd. English poetry; and 3rd. f>rose works in general, together with a little , listory and some quotations from eminent nutliorsand critics on the English language. We claim that the Church of England, its , creeds, rites, rituals, and principles descended , from the Anglo-Saxons. Says Shepherd, "the ] Saxon tongue abounded in theological expres- . sions, anil In pure doctrinal thoughts more , than any other known branch of the Gothic | stock." And Lord McAauley says the conver- i slon of the Saxons to Christianity has been | one of England's greatest boons. ( Many men have often compared tbe church to the great ark of Noah, but I compare the , preservation of the church itself, to that ves- , sel. Yes, it was guarded wJth untiring energy ( ;md strenuous care In the cloister of the | monks and the secret places of the down- , trodden Christian Saxons, but It has descended with all Its power and influence from gen- , eratlon to generat ion, and Is to-day wielding an influence throughout the length and breadth of the English Empire. The laws i which regulate the divine worship are written , In the Saxon tongue and all ministers preach in the same language from week to week. | rhe very spirit of the Saxon Christians is seen < today In all the truly pious persons In Eng- j land. We read In history that the Saxons were a missionary people?they sent out men from their own land among the Pagans of the i Northern part, of the continent and taught Lheni the truths of the gospel as they had i Iheni and believed In them. And now we ask, . does this not correspond to the English people? Are they not a missionary people? what land nays more attention to the work of foreign missions than England? It is not to be found. We say that such menasBedu ind Jlonlflce, .Saxon missionaries, have left their impress ami imageon the more than one thousand Christian missionaries who have left the shores qf England for foreign fields. This Inudlhle trait in'tlie English people has caused her to extend her power and dominion in nearly every land, has made the name of Ureal Britain known from the rising to the setting sun, has given her the name all over liie world of a Christian nfclton, an.d all this must he attributed to the powcrand inlluencer>f the Saxons. We read nowhere of the Norman-French ev r sending out a single person to work as a missionary?true they endeavored to estabtabllsh a church, but McAulay says: "It was inly an attempt," and then what lew were lonverted to Christianity adopted the forms >f worship which they found existing among the conquered Saxons. Now, the question *omes, has the church had no influence? Has it done nothing toward shaping the destiny of the English people? Dock she wield 10 power today in that mighty empire? | Most assuredly she does, and all the energy ind zeal which English Christians manifest in their church enterprises are but the fruits ind natural results of the old Anglo-Saxon ' principles which nre so deeply rooted in that people, and of which they are so Justly proud. Now we come to speak of their literature proper, and what, we ask, has more to do with i nation's lnstliutlons. cither for good or evil, I ban its language and literature. Why If we Had the literature and spoke the language of the Germans we would be German: if of the Greeks then we would be Greeks; so If Eng- .< land spctks the language and reads the litera- i lure, and In fact records her history In the I 3,axon tougue, then she must be greatly influ- < L-nced by that people. We claim that the ' jreater and most, influential part of English i poetry is of Saxon origin, became all tlie poe- i Lry written by them which is now extant, is -i in rhytn.">, measure and style similar to that t )f the English bard'. I Says one historian, the poetry of theSnx- < ins has called forth many Imltitors in Eng- I and, especially John Milton in his Paradise ' Lost. Not only the style, but even the thoughts and expressions are the same. I Where did English bards get their fondness < Tor extolling in blank verse the deeds of some t rrcat warrior, if nut from the Saxons who de- I lighted In celebrating the exploits of some i lero, or In singing th? praises of heroine. I Says Falne. "Very little of their poetry now 1 remains, but enough to show that poetic geni- < us was almost perfpet. enough to declare to > he world that It is the flower In the bud." 1 Ves, It was the bud,and now look at the grand ' libraries of English poetry and you will see i ;he full grown .flower. If ever a people pos- ; 'cssed a deep poeiic sentiment it was the blue- t ?yed Saxons?they did not sneak, they sang, : jr rather they shouted?wild and Impassion- : ?d was their productions?a typical represen- : Latlvc oflt is found in the works of L?rd By- ] ron. The very soul of all true poetry Is Saxon I in Its origin, and poetry has been justly I itvlml llio trn^ lil?fr>pv <if n nponte. i Wank verse so much used, and so highly i prized in England could not be written in the I S'oruian-French tongue. Quackenboss says | 'It was Impossible and was never attempted." rake then all the poets who have ever written i line of blank verse, and if tbey have bad my influence on England, we claim it for the Faxons. What! hnve poets 110 influence? lias poetry no bearing and no power over a people? Yes, verily, and a wonderful power, too. Only a few years ago we beard one of iur Professors in a lecture on literature, say that so great was the power and influence of Kngiish poetry on that people, that if she was lompellfd to slay her poets or ei ve up her possessions in India, she would do the latter. There is no estimating the influence of one 'Ingle poem, viz: Grey's Elegy In a Country uhurch Yard, and r early evfr.v word in It is Saxon. Who can set bounds to the influence ?f the works of Shakespeare, either for good irevll on the English people? and only onesixth of all his word* are not. Saxon. Will my one say that Milton's Paradise Lost, a| lioem written in Imitation of the style of I'neilmon, a Saxon poet, lias had no Influence; >n the English people?and only one eighth I if all his words are not Saxon. Again, Willi Lbe trausbiliNjts of the Scriptures beset, asldel is having no bearing on this people? and |i lliey arc nearly all Saxon words?only one- t l.wenfv-ni ith being derived from other S sources. Can such considerations as tlie>e| lie ca<t aside as having no weight ? And now, I to show you that they are true, we will five < ^ ou a quotation from Eaine. SpeaklngofNor- i rnnn poetry he says: "It became an intolera- < >le litany; their ideas were expounded and ? repeated ?<l infinitum without one outburst of ' amotion or touch of ortsrlnalHy." ' Hut to pa?s on. Prof. Hadley of Yale Pol- i eye, says in speaking of the English Inn-1 *1 ruage, that it is the direct descendant and j' reprc<enfativo of the old Anglo-Saxon, 1 Chough it has lost, many of its Inflections.' ! mil has borrowed many words from other ar.guages, yet all the inflections that remain, |' jritics the bolts ami pins of our language, In, jc? ?! ?Tall the ffonis in most frequent nml aml!i:ir use have come direct. from ilio Sax>ns. On llifc authority of thi? man we sav lint all 1110 newspapers and periodicals, both ; irculnr and snored, i.tid all tlio thrilling sen-; enees uttered by Knglish orators, all tlie i treat discussions in religion, law and politics,! < ?nd ail the sentiments voiced by her great| ind learned men which loused I lie people to iclion in peace as well as in the time of war, ire Influences coming from the Saxon?, since i'I Ihese media of communication are in that) angtiage which has come down from them. I Does language and literature exert no influ- 1 nee? For the proper answer to tills nne?ion we refer yon to the speech of Hon. joimj M. ltrleht at. our late Commencement, in I >vhich be showed the wonderful Influence lit-: rature has.and does now sway over the dif-j fereiil nations of the globe. j But while 1 thus speak of literature and ts results. T am aware that my honorable op- j >oncnts may point you to tlio splendid litera-1 ,ui"c of tlic IvoraiRua when they coaauired. Britain, and may tell you that they Introduced it In the Island. But I ask In till (food ' faith* how long did it Continue to be the gunge of the land, and did It ever reach the' mass of the people? The answers to the?o' questions ace very evident. Welsh says la" his work on English literature that the Normans excelled the .Saxons In manner*, la taste, in intellectual culture, and Implements or war?In a word, they were polite, elegant, graceful, talkative, dainty and sUpfctflciat/ As a rule, the Saxons were the revert^. They wer? thinkers, not talkers, and thinking mea ' always have ruled the world. President Shepherd, of the College In Char leston, savsot the Normans: "Their language1 was adapted to light liu-rature, to romance-, ind the ballad, designed only to entertalrt the nobility and their followers." Nnfr Welsh raises the question: "What Is to become of this refined, aristocratic literaturo ivhi n irni fti>H nn tlio nlil A nt'lA.Sflvnn Bt/v?U Wc answer as was said of Napoleon Bonaparte, so may it he paid of the NormanFrench, It rose, reigned and fell, and great was tl.e fall of it. Now for our proof. William Duke of Normandy having won the battle of Hastings in I he year 1066 endeavored to overthrow the *axon dialect. He wished to establish the French in the conquered land. And to this end ho ordered that the pupils in all the schools should be taught the French language. He also made it the language of the courls. Lawyers had to plead it at the bar of Justice. Ail wills, deeds and titles were written In it. The htgher circles of society spoke it, hut at the same time, in spite of all roval thfeats and kingly commands, the great mass bf the conquered subjects still spoke their native tongue. They clung to it as to their lives?they preserved it as a sacred right and to overthrow it w.\s not in the power of a kins. The people carried their point: for within less than three hundred years the very kings and nobles were compelled to learn the saxon language so greally despised ond condemned only a short while b?fore, and 1362 the Saxon?then convened into English?became emphatically the languaee of the land. It superceeded the French In the courts. Refined society used It, and weare told that poet* employed it as tho vehicle of their choicest thought*. So, as we have paid, th? sway of Norman-Fronch was very brief? less than three centuries. But It mny be claimed that the conversion of the Saxon info English was a result of the conquest. This wo deny on the authority of Quackenboss. He says: The rhange In the termination of words and tljft Introduction of prepositions are to be attributed rather to the nalural efforis of the people to simplify their grammar, than to tbo effect of the Norman conquest. "This Is very reasonable as well as probable because all other languages have undergone various changes?the Greek of to-day Is not the Greek r>f Homer's tlmo. the Latin wo use now Is not, luall Its forms, like the Latin of Cicero's day, und so of all the different dialects, and who will say that simplification has not been the one great cause of all these changes ? We will now give you a few quotations from men whose Judgment substantiates wHat'I have said in regard to the ruling element In the language and literature of England. Washington Irving says "There Is lltt)e of romance In the Englishman, but, like the *axon, there la a great deal of strong feelWelsh says: The Saxon element In Englishman makes him the niatter-of-faot business-like, thoughtful man that he Is. Marsh says: "We can say with confidence ? that the Saxon lins the highest power of peech, power of varied expression on nil Intellectual and moral topics." Again the - same writer says. "Those English dramatists and poets who have most clearly revealed the heart, and have thrown most light Into the Jeep abyss of the human soul, have employ ed a diction comprised In the greatest mea-nre of words which have descended from the ancient mother of the English language " Green says; In thirty thousand lines of, poetry written during the 13th contury uofc more than 50 pure Norman-French words can Kn fniin/l In thorn ' Looking at such facts as these. truly mny we say the fires lighted In England by the Saxons have never burned out. The streams started by thein are still sending forth theirpure waters, and will continue untWl they fill the entire realm. The Influence set In motion by them is still exerting Its power In the customs, ha' Its, Institutions, laws, language and itorature, not only In England but It crosses the ocean and Is felt In America and even lu "very land where ?yavcs the British flag and the EnelUli tongue is spoken. Great we* >oth In England America, proud of the Snxon jlood which courses their veins say. owing to the adaptability of the Saxon language to ;very kind of expression. It will oue day be the dialect of the civilized world. rHE NORMANS GAVE CHARACTER TO TliE ENGLISH PEOPLE. 5pcech of R. L. Crier, of Dae West, Noath Cnrollna. Fashioned In the depth of Time, on. th% shores of tiie Black Sea, out of hard rocks,-as , tradition says, and not out of common clay rrom which the rest of mankind arc formed, ivere made a hardy, intrepid race of men. I'hese Iron-willed and rock-sinewed men, with heir wives and their battle axes, started west-;. ivard to win lands and secure food. They enmo hrou?h tjic dark forests of Germany, whoso . iKiitiou nnH nu?fnl rHnnm still ]ln?Ar round us n hoary-headed tradition. They drove the >vild beasts from their lairs and their dens, they took their homes. But their love forad^j fi-nture.allowed them not long to remain in ' me place. Westward, stlli westwurd. they held their course. Forest could not hold them In ;heck, neither could river detain them. Ades-. ;iny was driving them forward,?they wero ullllling a divine commission?conquering md peopling the world. Though Odin led them, and though they paid their vows to illm. yet Jehovah drove them forward. Thcy^ ft-eie following a pillar of fire trfough they* aw It not. They came to I he shores of Cfnx'. [Jaltic Sea and there they stopped for a while; These were the Goths?the ancestors pMh$ Saxons and Nornans. But many, many] ,-ears before, there cumc to this sea-girt land,' through the hazy German ocean, the Celts, md settled there. Then the Komans came md conquered 1t, and in -T>0 the Saxons came, md almost swept the Celts out of exist?r>?c...-; Hut a few of them fled Into the west whero ;hey were not worth following, and carried their language with them. And there to-day t still lingers in theSeotlsh High lands, ao<L unong the wild Irish?loath Po glwe'up its list hold,?unbenditig and unyielding as the, people who spoke Jt. All t he successive tides jf conquest that have rolled over England, :mvc tailed to dislodge It. Olingingamong vho ?*Sld crags it seems as if it can never be torn , nit?as natural as the shrubs that grow on thu . mountain heights. The Saxon language took . ts place in a great degree, yet the Celts hii.ve ' nado their impression on language and lawe,, md much of their blood still flows in our . reins. The Saxon language was spoken up to lie time of William the Conqueror^ who jroujiht with him the Norman-French. And now let us try to show some Influences . that they exerted upon England. We will . Irst notice the laimuageand literature.' ..yf ho.] ire these Norman*? Northmen, Norsemen,' nighty men, ocean-rovers. The same blood roursed their veins tliiit flowed in tho Saxons. iJut tho Normans wont into Gaul :tnd conjuercd it, ana settled in the Northern .pnrt,^ the language spoken in the country at t.tw* . 'line was a eorrupted Latin, and the Normr.nu , md Franks did not, like the Saxon, drive the (habitants from the land, but mingled with hem; and so the language became n compound of the Teutonic dialect, lmjiorted by., hi'se conquerors, and the corrupt Latin al eadv there. Hence the Norman-French lanttiago Is closely related to tlie Latin, and so a treat many words of Latin origin which tho S'onnsins used were introduced into England >y the 1'oncjUeror. This was one effect. Alt' ' >iir Latin derivatives enter through this ihannel, and opened the Way for future dovelipmcnt. What has the Latin done? Wlth>ut It our language would not have half 1|?. entity, power, force.adaptation to all passion^ " md moods, pliability or extent. What h pol?h has it given it; what tire; what flexibility. Pake the Latin from a Milton, and you strip it in of his brightest .robes?"uo words of earned length and thundering sound." Ills* nelody would die In harsh, grating gutteral. We cdl tho loititi and Greek languages load, but they are alive. They are the orna*. nent, beauty, life of our .o.wn dear- mother ongne. They are embalmed forever In the mmortal works of Homer, and Virgil, and carce'y less in Johnson and Milton. Whilo .' i.rlltl, ll*,? T r>Mn .1 11 ?? ? Mio he soul of our language. I meant not to un- _ lerrate tlie Saxon. True, to this hour you tear in it the roar of Northern seas, the thurtler of the polar storms, the battle cries of heoes; hut from t he South comes another, borne ii'im tlie wing<of zephyrs, lmlen with till tho lower, strong! h, siutelitiess,beauty, sweetness if Greece and Home; and for tierce battle ties plants freedom's ensign and peace; for. he dark frown of the lowering storm, the flcur, bright sunlight; for the roar of Northirn seas, upheaved by angry winds, it gives us lie quiet, culm, blue ocean,?a bright mirror leneath a clear sky to picture it. The Nor* ?U"H brought these two, so seemingly antngotistic together, and married them?they aro >ne. What a language have we! With--, tut the Intervention of tho Normans these-' wo foieign elements could never have beeu Cvntinucd on L'igtUh Page.