College of William and Mary - Colonial Echo Yearbook (Williamsburg, VA)

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' 03 til ' 23: H Ipvopbet ' s IDrcam. ON E night late in vSpring I had been cramming for one of the earlj- examinations, and it was sometime past midnight when I got to bed : a beautiful half-moon was just descending into the West, and its raj ' s fell full upon me. My thoughts drifted to the now fast-approach- ing close of the session, and to tlie members of our class who would then part, some of them possibh- never to meet again. I could but have a feeling of sadness creep over me, but I had also a great curiosity to know in what walks of life and where my several class-mates would be found in the years to come. Gazing at the setting half-moon it seemed to me to symbolize the culmi- nation of the first half of our lives, some fifteen or twenty years hence ; now the first quarter is just ending. Those of us who.se college careers end with this session, will on the last Thursday in June, finish the fir.st quarter of our lives, and when we awake the next morning the second quarter will be facing us. What will it reveal ? What joys and sorrows, rewards and disappointments has it in store for us? Time alone can tell. But it was late and, being tired, nature presently got the best of my thoughts. Falling into a light slumber, my mind was naturally still full of my last waking thoughts. In my sleep the Goddess of Dreams came to me and gave me an invitation to accompany her on a trip, promising me that if I went she would show me where the members of our class of ' 03 would be found in 1923. I need hardly say that I agreed to go. The Goddess was invisible to me, and she threw over my shoulders a cloak which made me also invisible, and gave me the power of sailing through the air at a mar- velous rate of speed. She also gave a peculiar pair of smokj ' -looking glasses, which, when I put them on, gave my eyes the wonderful power of seeing things as they would be twenty years from now. Having put on the glasses the Goddess took me by the hand and led me off. She enjoined upon me to hasten as we would have to be back before 26

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To thee it is to clioose and act thy part ; To stand a hero or a coward flee: Gird up thy strength and fortify thy heart: Nor carry that which may encumber thee. Thy weapons should he few liut sure and tried, O ' ercome by their own arms brave men have died. If thou pursues! fickle fame, beware: Lest she doth lead thee wliere thou would ' st not go, Nor follow wealth to quagmires of despair: Nor seeking Honor grasp an empty show. Time is too fleet and life too rare a thing To sell it all to hear the Sirens sing. When opportunity shall .speak with whispering voice. And point unto his way unseen before. Up, quickly turn and make a wise one ' s choice ; Else seeking him thou ' It find a fast-locked door. If once thou sleepest through the golden day No power of thine may chase the night away. Remember him of whom the Hebrews tell. Who sought his father ' s wandering ass alone ; But yet on him the Prophet ' s favor fell— He sought an ass but found a kingly throne. So often he who doth the smallest thing For Duty, shall, unknown, be crowned a king. This then I charge thee, ere thou take thy way, Kule, if thou rulest, o ' er the realm of mind; And yet o ' er mind let character hold sway. And place all lesser things, below, behind. So thou more glorious still shall reach the west. While o ' er thee waves unstained the victor ' s crest. Up, then, and with a strong man ' s strength, be strong. Fear not, nor falter on thy chosen way ; Shun, thou, all coward deeds and flee all wrong. But if they come upon thee, up, and slay. I speak for him, God of the silver bow. So ! blessing, I have blessed thee, rise and go. James South.vll Wilson. 25

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the rising sun destroyed the peculiar properties of our cloaks. Our prog- ress was like lightning. The invisible Goddess leading the way, we glided through the air and covered many miles without halting. Our first pause was made almost in the center of our State, in the town of Charlottesville Nor was it the town itself that attracted our attention ; I was led out to the University and there saw many busy people going to and fro. What is the cause of all this gathering? queried I, with the usual inquisitiveness of the human race. Wait, said the God- dess, you shall soon see. We took our way to the chapel, whither most of the crowd was going. Here I had not long to wait to find out the cause of such a gathering, for presently a procession of distinguished men in cap and gown entered and took seats on the rostrum. One arose, and in a few well chosen words introduced to the assembled people James Southall Wil- son, president-elect of the University of Virginia. The words he spoke were few and eloquent, and it was not hard to recognize the Pap of col- lege days. But time was flying ; the Goddess touched my arm and again led me off. We sped along for a few moments, and when next we stopped, the scene was much changed. There was a crowd to be sure, but it showed no signs of being a highly cultured one ; on the other hand it was such as is usually seen in a country district attending couniy court But it did not even have the virtue of being occasioned by the county court — it was the newer circuit court crowd. I wondered why it was so large toda -, but I was told it was onl} ' one week before there would be an election to the State Legislature. The crowd was rather noisy and restless, but all at once this ceased ; someone began to speak, and I recognized the true and only John S. Eastman, who was addressing the voters of .Middlesex and pleading for the election of his favorite candidate to the Legislature. The speech was .short and characteristic, and Billy soon left the stand to move among the crowd, promising an office to this one and future support to another; evidently wire-pulling was still in fashion. Billy of 1903 and Bilh- of 1923 were the same. I gazed a moment, but the scene was soon lost in the distance as I felt myself moving, and for some time I sped through space: then I felt our speed slacken and knew that we were nearing some other place of interest to me. I was not long kept in su.spense, for we were soon moving slowly 27