Drexel University - Spartan Yearbook (Philadelphia, PA)

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ADERESS OF THE HONORABLE CHARLEMAGNE TOWER I estt-t-m it an espt-t-ial honor to say a t't-w wortls upon this ottt-asion on hehall' ot' the lioartl ol' 'l'rnstt-t-s txt' 'l'ht- llrt-xt-l lnstitntt--the g.1'll2ll'tllilllS antl t'art-talit-rs who hart- hatl its mtt-rt-sts at ht-art antl have matlt- its wt-lt'arti tht- t-hit-l' aim ol' their entlt-arors tlnring: tht- past twenty-tire yt-ars, t'1l1'l'j'lllQ' ont' the wishes antl fnllilling' tht- purposes ot' its high- mimletl antl g't-nt-rons l'onntlt-r. Tl it-irs has been the watt-ht'ul solit-itntle lllltlL'l' whit-h this institution, plantt-tl in Phila- tlelphia soil a quarter ot' a l'Clll'lll'.Y ago, has grown antl llonrisht-tl, has t-xtemlt-tl its in- llnemft- througliont. tht- limits ot' tht- t-ity, into tht- homt-s ol' tht- hoys antl girls, the mt-n :mtl the womt-n whost- hamls it has strt-ng.1'tlit-nt-tl aml ht-t'ore whom it has st-rvt-tl to smooth tht- way npon whivh tht-y antl we all art- hearing' forwartl tht- lmrtlt-n ol' hnman cxistt-nt-t-. At the t-lose ol' a long antl at-tive lil't-, lilletl with tht- t-xperit-nt-e ol' one who km-w wt-ll its tlillit-nltit-s-whit-h was t-rowm-tl hy tht- rt-wartl ol' honorahlt- sm-rt-ss, Mr. An- thony Urt-xt-l tnrnt-tl his thoug'hts towartl his l't-llow mt-n-towartl tht- amhitions hopt-s ot' tht- vonng whost- glam-t-s rt-at-h l'o1'wa1'tl to tht- goal l'ar aht-atl, still ont ol' rt-at-hg antl Lowartl tht- Sl1'llj.1'j.1'l0 ot' those in maturt-r yt-ars who havt- alrt-atly hornt- somt-what the ht-at antl burtlt-n ot' tht- tlay. llt- sympathizt-tl with tht-m in lllK'l1' t-l'l'orts to atlrant-e aml he hatl it in his ht-art to aitl tht-m from tht- rit-h sourt't-s ol' his worltl t-xpt-rit-m-t-, as wt-ll as l'1'om tht- 2llJlllltlillll'0 that hatl t-omt- to him tlirongli his own intlnstry antl pt-rst-vt-rant-t- aml th1'it't. lfle hopt-tl to ht-lp tht-in onwartl to sm-t-t-ss. 'Q' . 'l'ht-re art- so many t-lt-mt-nts, howt-rt-r, wlm-h go to make up what may ht- t'allt-tl sm-- vess in lit'e that it is not easy to t'ort-st-t- whit-h ol' tht-m t-xt-rts tht- Hl1'tlllfJ,'CSl inllnt-mte in tht- gt-nt-ral rt-snlt, or whit-h miglit ht- rt-straint-tl or omitlt-tl without, wt-altening' tht- l'oi-t-t- or t'liang'ing' tht- tlirt-t-tion ol' tht- pnrpost- that all hart- in View who aim to 1l1'0g'l't'SS. 'l'ht- t-liarat-tt-r ot' mt-n, their t'ort-t- ot' will, tht-ir attt-ntion to tletail, tht-ir tlioronglmt-ss in tin- ishing what they take in hamlg so also tht-ir sliortt-oniing's, tht-ir lavk ot' attention to their tlntit-s, their lt-ss lirm 1'USlSt2lllt't' in the ovt-rt-oining' ol' tlitlit-ultyg tht-sts things, ot' t-ourse, play a part in roumling' ont' a t-art-er in lit't- antl in shaping' the tlt-stiny ol' an intlivitlnal man or woman, antl they are to ht- t-onsitlt-rt-tl in planning' any st-ht-me ol' t-th1- t-ation. l-Sntz tht-se are im-itlt-nts whitfh tlt-pt-ml upon tht- imlivitlnal himst-ll' antl govt-rn his artion in eatth vast- as it prt-st-nts itst-lt'. ltlr. Drt-xt-l's wish was above antl liill' ht-,vontl this. Ilis intt-ntitm was, to ht-lp mt-n aml women as tht-y are, to provitle lor them somt-- thii ty- of whit-h t-very one miglit' avail: antl that is the grountl upon whit-h 'l'ht: Drexel ln F 18

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power, are what our modern education, the education that is to be and that is coming out of this great war, the eommon aetion, etlueation toward a eommon end, that power, that life going through eaeh hour of industry, going into the husy mill, into all the ae- tion of man, bringing them all to a higher point, to a more spiritual end, to a liner eon- cept of citizenship, to a. more splendid devotion-that' is the task whit-h we have before us. There are others, but we cannot neglect that, and so with that we are going on after these twenty-tive years, going on, all of ns, to common aetion and to common ends, using the hours, saving all we ean, and breathing into every hour and every clay a splendid purpose. It has been a. very great privilege 1 know for my eolleagues of' the Board of Trustees to have with us in our celebration our next tlistinguisllecl speaker. America is fortunate in having some real flistingui:-zhecl men, and Philadelphia is hy no means less t'ortunate than other parts of the Unitecl States. In none is it more t'ortnnate than in having Mr. Tower. I have the great honor to introfluee the Honorable l'harlen1ag'ne Tower, member of the Board of Trustees. Y-2 -1 I . I 17 t

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Institute is built. Its purpose is, to offer Opportunity-an opportunity to all, open to all, equally and without distinction. Mr. Drexel provided a. new Chance in life where none existed bet'ore. In carrying out his design, he conveyed to his Trustees by a Deed exeeuted in 1891, the ground upon which the Institute is now ereeted, at the corner of 32d and Chest- nut Streets, with certain securities to form the endowment fund, in trust, for an In- dustrial School which should be open to persons otf both sexes on equal terms, t'or edu- cation and improvement: and he called this school The Drexel Institute of Art, Science, and Industry, in order to cover as nearly as possible the entire Held ol' human endeavor. This is not a university or a college, neither does it enter into rivalry or compete with any school or college, and yet it is a center of education, with aims and purposes of its own. Its curriculum has been made broad enough to include the neeessary instruction to tullil the intention ot its Founder, in Art, Science, and lndustry. lts school ot' engineering provides cou1'ses in civil, electrical, and mechanical engineering: the beautiful collection of objeets of a1't and the gallery ot' paintings which Mr. Drexel gave to it from. his own house form a. museum in which ll1't and architecture may be illustrated and taught, whilst, not to enter into too much detail which the present occasion does not eall tfor, the1'e Zl1'0 courses in domestie science and secretarial work in which young men and women may be instructed to earn their living and be useful in the world. During the last twenty-tive years this Institute has carried on its activities in Phila- delphia, steadily increasing the facilities which it otters to those who seek instruction and giving aid to greater llllllllX'1'S as time goes on, until it has to-day, under the en- lightened di1'ection ot' Dr. Hollis flodtrey, its President, more than twenty-tive lmnd1'ed students on the rolls. IVhat is perhaps otf the greatest- signilicance as well as of the greatest interest in this connection, is, that, whilst there are about six hundred ordinary students in the day schools oi' the Institute, the1'e are courses ot' instruction given at night which are prepared for men and women who work during the day: and the number of people who come to these night schools, to learn the different trades and occupations in which they tll'C engaged, is now very close to nineteen hundred. lint, whilst the Institute is thus carrying forward its beneticial purposes in regard to its students, on the one hand, it has been for years, and is now more than ever before, rendering, on the other, effective service to the community at large and to the state, be- cause, whatever gives strength to the unit strengthens also the whole fabrie of our social and national life, and we have a striking example before us to-day of the great and important part that an institution like this may take in support of the publie welfare. A situation has arisen which no one could have foreseen twenty-tive years ago, in whieh American nationality calls for the aid ot' the whole people, for the helping hand of every American citizen in the equipment of the nation and in national defeueeg and it is pre- cisely in the training of these devoted hands to do the work which lies before them that 19