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

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the other to give and receive the binding vows. .hist at the appointed time the grea.t orchestra began a beautiful wedding march, which seemed to roll in volumes, and tn echo and re-echo among the arches of ih ' building. A door in the rear opened, and a small man robed in his clerical attire entered, just as the wedding procession entered at the front. As they met at the altar I saw all. 1 recognized in tin- minister prepared tn do the work our class President, J. Hubby Lloyd, and in the person before him. who seemed tn he writhing in fear and uncertainty, I recognized our patriarch, Moses Sydnor. ■ Alas! 1 thought, that shi — whoever -In ' ua Imiihl have come tn this ! Next I was wafted along through space, and soon found myself passing along another great thoroughfare of a great metropolis. As 1 passed one of the large law buildings I heard a voice, which rose ami fell with such a peculiar cadence, as it rolled off period after period of oratory, that I was forced tn pause. Where had 1 heard that voice before? It was familiar, yet I was unable tn recall it: so, moved h some hidden impulse, 1 entered the building. 1 beheld a large court-room filled tn overflowing with an intensively attentive audience, and looking in the direction in which every eye was strained, I saw a slight, nervous man expounding the law in such a convincing manner that every eye was fastened upon him. ami every sound was stilled, dust behind this speaker, and in front of the judge ' s desk, was another intellectual looking man. somewhat smaller than the lirst, and on whose face, in spite of tin 1 exertion from which he seemed tn he just recovering, there was a satisfied expression, which seemed tn say as plain as words, I have done a good work ; let me rest. .hist behind the desk, in the judge ' s chair, was a portly looking gentleman, with thinly scattered sandy-white hair. With one final, prolonged plea, which would have excited the emotions of a stone, the speaker ended, and as he and hi.- colleague turned in acknowledge the rounds of applause with which they were greeted, a light Hashed across my memory, ami I recognized my old class-mates. In a few minute- the jury passed in their unanimous verdict, and then the air was filled with shouts of how the great h.w firm of Shawen Counts, in the court of .hi dec Slater ' . Blackiston, had won one of the greatesl victories in the legal Geld of the day. They had convinced a refractory jury that a man is justified in doing the other fellow, and doing him lirst. provided the other fellow will allow it. It was noised abroad as a great precedent in the legal world. Soon the scene was changed; I found myself in the broad, open country, free from the din and the noise of the city. Being weary, 1 lay down upon the grass, ami felt a- though I could lie down like a wearj child and sleep away this life of care, which I had borne and yet must hear. ' That was not to be, however, for soon I heard ;i sound as of a rushing, mighty wind, and looking up, I beheld in the distance a diabolical looking machine, which approached so rapidly that 1 though! it musl be racing with eternity. Just as it go! opposite me, one of the infernal arrangements in front balked, and the thine, suddenly changing its course, flattened out against the fence beside me, while it- six occupant- continued then- journey for some appre- ciable distance beyond the fence. Amazed at the remarkable agility with which they recovered themselves, I looked more closely at these unfortunate wayfarers, and recognized in them, by some peculiar marks and signs, the persons of Washington

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SENIOR PROPHECY. And your young men shall see visions. ' 4 ' t prophesy ! to gaze into the future, and to snatch from the hands of a t futurity those great secrets which she so jealously guards, and to expose them to the eager eyes of the present: this was the superhuman task -- gned me by thai great, august, and thoughtless body of men known as the Senior Class of nineteen-five ! Tin- was ii ordinary task, this delving into the future lives and acts of creatures ranging from a McDonald to a Carson, from a Blackiston to a Eillman; -. evi n from the Highlands of old Scotland to the Alamo of Texas, and from the shores of the Atlantic to the green hills of Virginia. Fully conscious of the great responsibility resting upon me, and becoming more and more conscious of my inability to accomplish it without some superhuman issistance, 1 sat vainly trying to collect my wandering thoughts far into the night. As I sat thus, with bowed head, and gazed dreamily, half-unconsciously into the dying coals, which cast their shadows on the wall, suddenly 1 heard a rustle behind me as of some one passing out at the open door. Quickly rousing myself, I glanced around, and as I did so I beheld a peculiar looking, but beautifully shaped goblet filled to the brim with a bright and sparkling liquid, and at the same time I beheld, just above my d a perfectly shaped hand, which, even as I looked, began to write, lid that hand of old, and after it had written and vanished 1 read the one word, Drink! [nstantly the thought rushed up to me that this was the means by which some kind pro idenee was to assist me in my prophecy, so without a moment ' s hesita- tion I seized the sparkling nectar and quaffed it lovingly and long. Immediately 1 felt a wonderful change coming over me. I saw things of which 1 had never dared dream before. I saw men whom man had judged to be good, and I found, alas ! that man does not know the half; I saw men who had been judged to bi bad, and I felt glad that I had been allowed to see them in their true light, and in know that a man is not always as he is judged bj his fellow-man. Although the things that 1 saw were many, and although I saw the past as well as the future, I quickly controlled my wandering thoughts and concentrated my attention to the future and the things which it should hold. Soon my attention was attracted by a crowd which thronged the streets of a large city. Seeing that this human stream appeared to set in one direction, I followed, and soon entered the portals of a magnificent cathedral. A constrained excitemenl seemed to reign over the large congregation, and in a few minutes I had lered from a whispered conversation the cause. Two of the great ministers of city were soon to meet at the altar — one to officiate at the nuptial ceremony and I 26 1

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Everett MacDonald, J. Augustus Carson, Joseph Nehemiah Ilillman. Alfred Lorenzo Terrell and our member from Alabama, Carlos Lucius Turnipseed. T firsl two had become celebrated students of velocity, and had spent the las) few years of their lives in trying to increase the speed of a machine to the point when it would leave the earth and henceforth pass through the air. As thej approached the remains of their gasping machine, there was a heated discussion going on. Mac swore repeatedly thai they bad finally discovered the objecl of their study, and that it would be a matter of only a few months before he would be doing just as the birds in the spring time, minus the singing. Yes, sir, he said, I ' ll leave this earthly home and lake m flight afar. Man. he said, real angrj like, didn ' t you notice how we gol from that fence to the place where we stopped there on the ground? I itll you, ii was wonderful; why. we flew ju t as sure as you are a c velocitarian, J Carson looked up at him with a pitying smile and said, 0 thou of little knowlei - sawest thou not how it was done, or hast thou forgotten so soon? Seeing that tl - were just warming up to the subject, I transferred ray attention to the other occu- pants of tin- aforementioned machine. I ' ll. -i ' members of the party — Terrell, Turnipseed and Eillman — hail become renowned evangelists, ami were doing a great work in the world. They were on of their journeys when they had been overtaken by the scientists, ami had b persuaded to join them in their experiment. A- soon as they had gotten together again, there burst from them spontaneously ' , a- it were, the good old hymn, Praise God, from whom all blessings How. As the la-t words of the doxology died away, Brother Alfred earnestly suggested that they should immediately begin work on their former class-mates. For, says he, their work is far too dangerous for them to go thus unprepared. Knowing what was likely to follow, I left for other scenes, hut could not help heaving a heavy sigh that such as these should he allowed to about unwatched. Brooding over these sights, 1 passed on. oblivious of the many interesting things which 1 fain would have seen and enjoyed. I was awakened out of this seeming trance by again hearing the din. the clash, and the sound of hurrying feet, all of which sound.- betokened the presence of another metropolis. Glancing over the hurrying crowd. 1 noticed one who. from the manner in which he met the surging crowd and from the progress he made through it. I knew must have been a man of determination. Attracted by something which seemed familiar about him, I fol- lowed, and soon entered after him into one of the great publishing houses of the country. As he entered the inner sanctum. or office, the editor, a man of weight in the world, and whose ability and influence had commanded respect, arose, and. with a hearty grip and a ring of real pleasure in his voice, greeted the new-comer. A- soon as the friendly greetings were over, th litor continued in a voice in which hope ami Fear seemed blended. And have you brought the manuscript at last? The country is waiting impatiently for the next issue. In answer to this the young man placed a roll of manscript on the desk, and with the remark that he hoped the public would he satisfied, he left the building. The next week this book came out, and the effect was wonderful. It seemed as if it were cast upon a vast ocean, and it wonderful effects seemed to be borne away upon a tide both wild and wide. Its fame spread afar with the most wonderful rapidity. It was talked of amid the I 8 ]