Macalester College - Quid Nunc Yearbook (St Paul, MN)

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Po E3 he T' F' N 5 ij W A

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oifice boxes, no splintered floor. The Millennium had come for Macalester l Time lays his hand upon all, and yet who would have dreamed that, within twenty-five years, those bright, eager boys and girls who composed the class of 1905 could have been transformed into that group of grave, earnest men and women who 1net in the .President's room to celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of their graduation day. The toils and sorrows of life had marked us all, some almost past recognition. Our banquet was a unique atfair. Around the board gathered the graduation class of twenty-live years ago, with its circle unbroken. YVe had come from many lands. Most of us had been strangers to each other for a quarter of a century, and with life almost lived be- tween our meetings, we gathered once more, a band of students on Graduation Day. The plan of our banquet was' also unique. Each member of the class was to tell the story of twenty-five years in a. fifteen minute after-dinner speech. Our class had numbered thirteen, but there were almost twice as many gathered around the groaning tables. All of the gentlemen, ex- cept Hr. Flinn, had felt that it was not good for man to be alone, and President Flinn had married his country. The guests were arranged in alphabetical order, so the ltev. John Anderson, D. D., one of the most famous evangelists of the century, be- gan the Symposium. The very first sentence seemed to transport us to the music studio of other days. 1 remember t.hat one day many years ago, one of our lady professors told Dr. Anderson, then plain John Anderson, that with his magnificent voice he might move multi- tudes, and I am sure that we all, who often heard that voice from the platform of the music room, leading us with such vigor in songs of praise, or stirring us with exhortation, felt the justice of her remark. The same powerful voice bore us away on the wings of fancy, for a trip around the world. Dr. Anderson felt as though he had the whole world with him that night, Cwith a smile to the lady at his rightl, and yet he would tear himself away from the pleasant surroundings to accompany us on a fifteen-minute journey through America and Eng- land, coming back by way of the north pole and Canada. Ile told us of a busy life, spent in traveling from city to city in the lands where the English tongue was spoken, imparting to thousands of eager lis- teners the word of truth. Dr. Anderson spoke with touching gentle- ness of the wife at his side, who through all these years had been such a noble helper in his labors. And although Mrs Anderson was. a. stranger to many of us, there came to our minds a faint recollec- tion of days when John Anderson 's room was empty for many a long evening. The present writer was honored with the next place on the pro- gram. and told brietly how he had risen from the humble position of college scribe for the Pioneer Press. to the seat which he now so un- worthily fills. He remembered days when his writing created a sen- sation at Macalester. and brought to him letters bordered in black and 20

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written in blood, from fair anarchists, and even aifectionate messages of remembrance from a more august body. At that time however, he did not dream that the editorial office should be the scene of his life work. His desire had been for the law. But he had dreaded the trial of his veracity, and so he had chosen to be an editor-and tell the truth. Vile could scarcely believe that the next speaker with the long grey beard, and the patriarchal aspect, was our genial Bromley of other days, but as he spoke the old ring came back and we knew him through the veil. Ile drew for us a picture of his mission in China, and told us of the work accomplished there. llad we not known through other reports of the great zeal and resulting success of Mr. l3romlcy's work, his modesty would have hidden from us much that ma.kes us honor this noble missionary. At the close of his address, his accomplished wife, who is a Chinese lady, and a graduate of the college in llong Kong, also rose, and together they sang us a song, in the musical language of China. iVe had decided that on our Program the ladies should be called by the names on their diplomas, and for a few hours leave behind the cares of married life, and be girls once more. Mrs -, nee Miss Elmer, was called upon next. There was the same tinge of shyness which had characterized the Miss Elmer of our class, and the same sincerity of heart underneath. For some years Miss Elmer's life had been spent in teaching. In her last school, pupils had attended of sizes varying from two to six feet in height, and of ages from live to twenty-tive years. One of the older pupils, she said, had given her a. great deal of trouble, and yet she was very fond of him. Indeed she had become so attached to him, that she had continued to teach him ever since, and had succeeded remarkably well considering his original depravity. She had remained for twenty years in the same school, and expected to die there. The school house was a quiet little farm-home in her native state. It has been the privilege of the writer to visit that home, and he has seen few homes with a more ideal atmosphere of peace and serenity. As Miss Ehner sat down beside her big scholar, some one in a distant music room, moved surely by some mystic inspiration, played very softly the strains of Ullome Sweet Ilomef' Mr. Ferry was the next spea.ker. His beard and hair were white, for he had spent his life in Canada, the land of perpetual snows. He looked like the frost king come south for the winter. Mr. Ferry told us of a life of hard work among thelinission fields of XVestern Canada. His life had been that of cowboy and preacher combined, a life full of health, for still at his age he could mount his big broncho, ride thirty miles. and conduct his three services on Simday. He told something of the progress of that wonderful VVest whose growth has so aston- ished us during the past quarter of a century. VVith the optimism which seems to breathe in the winds of the Vilest, he prophesied 'a great future for his beloved homeland. It recalled to us vividly the young Canadian whom we had known for two years as a classmate, for even then he had shown the same ardent patriotism. With a smil- '75