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

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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

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ing apology for inflicting his Canadian feelings upon us, he quoted Scott's well-known lines: UBreathes there a man with soul so dead Who never to himself hath said This is my own, my native land. It was with a burst of applause, both loud and long, that we greeted our beloved President. It gives us keen delight to remember that the President of the United States, the Greatest Nation on Earth, or under it, was to us plain Tom Flinn: for he had insisted that we should so address him. It seemed odd though, for Tom Flinn. had been a slight little fellow of about 120 lbs., and the President weighs almost 250. However, he was the same friendly, jolly old fellow as of yore. We remember that during our Junior year, Tom Flinn was a, marked man, for he was captain of our foot-ball team, but we did not dream that he should be captain of the American people. The Presi- dent told us, with charming modesty, the principal events of his busy career. He declared that, in spite of the statements of his biogra- phers, he had never been a brilliant student, sweeping everything be- fore him, and so strenuously applying himself to his books as to find no time for pleasures or sports. He was sorry to disappoint those who had looked upon him as a model for all school-boys and college-stu- dents in America. He had just been an ordinaryboy, and had some- times even tiunked. It was a treat for us to hear a President admit that: for had we only trusted to his biographers, we would have been compelled, either to become traitors to our country by doubting the word of our President, or to do violence to ourselves by subjecting our memories to a severe strain. However, the President did strain the truth when he declared that it was by no great effort of his own, and by no inherent ability above that of his fellows, that he had reached his lofty position. Ile blamed it all on luck, declaring to the last that he was plain Tom Flinn. VVhat a treat to hear a President talk like that! But we were sure that Toni would do so when he reached the VVhite House. Mr. Flinn has never married. XVe believe that from babyhood he ha.s been suffering from an inborn dread of the fair sex. Mr. Geib, as in the old days, sat next to Mr. Flinn, and rose in re- sponse to his name. Mr. Geib was also received with applause, for there were none present who did not honor this gentleman, who, by his quiet, plodding toil had become the honored advisor of many of the wealthiest men of his time. At the bar, Mr. Geib had never been a great success, though in his early years he had pleaded many cases, but as a legal advisor he had outstripped every lawyer in Philadelphia. lle also had stories to tell of days filled with unrewarded drudgery. but finally crowned with success. Like many a, young man of the law, he was judged a false and scheming man, until his sterling in- tegrity had overborne all prejudice. Mr. Geib was returned to Con- gress in 1920, when still a young man, and we have all felt that, though he was so close a friend of President Flinn, yet nothing but his own great worth exalted him to the position which he now so ably F4 'Q