Mississippi College - Tribesman Yearbook (Clinton, MS)

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country North and East. But, after all, it is not the position one holds, the books he has read, the distinction he has attained, but the quality of manhood on the inside. The his- torian or biographer may give you all the names and dates and outward incidents, but these are not the measure of the man. You may know all these, but not know the man himself. To appreciate this friend of ours, you must take a photograph of the soul, and see a spirit royal in its sense of honor, as transparent as a maiden in its purity, as susceptible as an artist to the beautiful, as responsive as the most delicate musical instrument to the touch of friendship, as passionate as a devotee in his love of the true, and as clear as a cameo in his portrayal of them all. With justice and pride he points to the little woman by his side, Mrs. Mary Whitfield Eager, and says, “If you can find anything worthy in me, she did it.” P. I. L. The Cow Slips Away The tall pines pine. The pawpaws pause. And the bumble-bee bumbles all day; The eavesdropper drops. And the grasshopper hops. While gently the cow slips away. — Ben King. 9

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T HE gentleman whose name graces this page and to whom this issue of the Annual is dedicated is Mississippi’s own son, whose parents, however, were from New England, connected on both sides with the best people and the best traditions. His father was one of the best known and best loved ministers among Mississippi Baptists. His brothers are today, like himself, in the foremost ranks among the King’s noblemen. He early entered Mississippi College, where there are still echoes of his ringnig oratory in the old chapel, and old friends recall that his voice commanded universal admiration and envy. He served as Anniversarian of his Society both in Mississippi College and in Richmond College, Virginia, being an alumnus of both institutions. He was also Vale- dictorian in a class made up of such men as Dr. B. D. Gray, Judge George Anderson and Professor J. W. Granberry. His love of study has gone with him through his life and developed literary tastes which make association with him a joy and an inspiration. He enjoys living in one of the largest and best private libraries in the state. After completing his course he set aside his expectation of entering upon the practice of law, believing his life could be worth more to the world in the work of Christian educa- tion; and this belief has been corroborated by subsequent events, as his services have been sought as have been these of few among us. He has been offered at various times the presi- dency of the following colleges: The Judson in Alabama, Brownsville Female College in Tennessee, Baylor College in Texas, and Mississippi College, besides a chair in the Uni- versity of Mississippi on two different occasions. He served at Brownsville, Tennessee, building a successful school out of fragments, at Baylor in Texas, establishing a curriculum on an equality with that of male colleges, and as Professor of Philosophy in the University of Mississippi. But his heart has been in Mississippi College and the larger part of his time has been here, serving for a while as Acting President. His studious habits, love of language, and sympathy with the English classics have enriched his own mind, chastened his thought and speech, and made him the peer of any in the instruction and inspiration of young men. Culture has been broadened by travel in Europe and the East, and he has made a study from personal observation of colleges in this 8

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President John William Provine, M. A., Ph. D., LL. D. B. S., University of Mississippi, 1888; A. M., ibid., 1890; Ph. D., Goettingen, 1892; Fellow in Chemistry, University of Mississippi, 1888-90; Chairman of the Faculty of Mississippi College, 1895-97; President of Mississippi College, 1911- IO