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

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mountains of the North; it was read beneath the groves of the tropical climates ; ii was talked of and enjoyed from the slopes of the Atlantic to the Golden Gate, and still its fame increased. And what was this book, do you ask? Listen to the title, Let Us be United ' by Thomas Peachej Spencer and James William Gossman, published and edited l the Eonorable II. Blankinship. This was a sight that made me thankful that I was permitted to glance into the future. I saw. as the effects of this book, the North and the Smith i t together on a (-(11111111111 field, and eagerly assist each other in removing from the Face of the earth that great, invisible wall, which had tended to keep them apart, and had bred envy and hatred in the hearts of brothers. 1 saw those who had been Northerners and Southerners meeting together in love and friendship, and it made me glad that I was permitted tn see such things, and to know how they were done. As I thought (if the remaining members of this distinguished body of men. ami felt my utter inability ti understand even their present acts. I felt especially ai a loss how to speak of their future doings. Confronted by such a problem as this. I felt a strong need for courage ami inspiration, and in casting about me for something by which I may he helped, my eyes fell upon the sparkling liquid which had thus far done so much for inc. Addressing ' it by endearing terms, I again sought its most comforting influence. No sooner had it passed my lips than my eyes were again opened to the future, and I saw even plainer than before. 1 looked, ami behold, far oil ' in that Southern country which connects the continents of the new world. I saw an immense multi- tude of people of every nationality. It was evident that something was about to take place, such as had never before been seen in tin- world. As I looked 1 beheld a line of richly decorated battleships approach the shore and pass into what appeared a large river. Standing on the bridge of the foremost ship there were four distin- guished looking men on whom the eyes of the multitude seemed fastened. ' The one was the Hon. Jabez Belial ' Terrell, President of these United States of America: the other was Thomas Nero Lawrence, the power behind the throne, the great in- ternational diplomat, and successor to the Hon. John Hay. who led the march id ' the nations. The other two were Julius Nabisco Hubbard and Jabez Tyler, the M ' ieiitist . civil engineers and geniuses of their day. This was the great quartette on which the eyes of the world were fastened, and they were leading the way through, and opening up one of the greatest pieces of engineering work in the world ' s his- tory — the Panama Canal. These were the men who had taken up a work that had baffled men for generations, ami had taken it up with the determination that wins; and now, after the failures of the past, they had finally dug the ditch from ocean to ocean, and had watched the crystal waters blend, and were now initiating a work of which it may well he -aid that it was well done. And who were these great forces who were guiding the progress of the world. and were setting standards by which nations should direct their courses? Who were these men. do you ask, who were carrying on a work which, although difficult and great, was the work for which they had been prepared:- They were the men of the Senior Uass and of the Class of Naughty Five. too. I knew the} could do it, I knew, I knew! Although I fell glad and happy that I had been thus far successful in my

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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 ]

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endeavors to gii into the future, yet there was a Lingering feeling of pain or satisfaction. This feeling was the result of my unsuccessful efforts to look into the future of another member of the class. As thoughts of this member came up to me, I was surprised to find thai uo change came. There was a Longing, a yearning after something, but it was all in vain. There was no response, uo indication that he would ever have a future. Made desperate by such a state of affairs, I seized e n the source of m former inspiration, and after a few moments of quiet enjoy- ment, saw light -Inning through the bottom, but this was the only Light that dawned upon me. Its influence was insufficient to draw the curtain from a future so inter- esting and so dear to me. Whatever the cause of this strange baffling, whether it was due in the quantity or the quality of the contents of the goblet, or to both, has never yel been discovered, and to this day the many and various events which futurity has in store for him is unknown to the Prophet. [ 30 ]