Virginia Polytechnic Institute - Bugle Yearbook (Blacksburg, VA)

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locomotive works in the far North, but will finally return to the Virginia Poly- technic Institute as assistant to Johnson. The good man of our Class is the next whom the vision shows me, another celebrity, too, Dr. Perry. What do I see for him ? His life will be spent in leading others in the straight and narrow path. He will not become rich in things of the world, 'because he is not worldly inclined, but his reward shall, nevertheless, be great. He will probably be a Prohibition candidate for Con- gress. A man of rural talents, who has had experience in taking care of Apple Seed's orchard and green-house, is Harvey Price. So well has he done this we may know the farm which he shall own will be a model one. He will grow peaches, plums and pears, for the bS11Ci:1iQ of the Class of '98, Throughout the State will he be recognized as authority on the San Jose scale. His life will be filled with the joys and cares of country life, and his friends will always be welcome to his farm on New River. Another chemist, and a Painter, too. If he combines the profession and the trade, his life will not be the most successful of his class. The indications are that he will be more successful at the latter, for chemistry does not appear to be his vocation. His future life will be spent in decorating the houses of the four hundred in the swell city of Blacksburg. But the gods have in store for him one gift that will render him famous forever. Behold in him one of the future mayors of that great city which he helped to beautify. Another chemist, but my vision does not see him in the chemical laboratory. Three years in one at Virginia Polytechnic Institute were sufficient for Reid, and he turned to other labors. His fondness for the sea asserts itself, and his highest aim is to be first mate on one of the large sea-going steamers hailing from Norfolk. This he will accomplish by the time he is fifty, and seven years after his ship will be blown up by a submarine mine. Until then, he will spend his time in seeking to discover some method by which he can live without work. Smith will not follow his intended profession of a mechanical engineer. The work connected with it is not congenial to him. But he need not fear, he has a future. His ferreting instincts will decide that, and his training at Blacksburg gave him good training for the private detective service. A rival of Pinkerton himself will be this member of '98, His fame will be due to his discovery of the man who committed the sole act of hazing at Virginia Polytechnic Institute in the year 2000. This will be his greatest case. Taylor, D. M., will have a brilliant future, except that he will be disappointed in the one great aim of his life. Honor and wealth willbe his, but he will meet with a disappointment that will have its effect all through his after life, making his honors count for nothing. The fair maid whom he adores, the idol of his affections, will prove false to him, and hisnsuccessful rival will be a red-headed 32

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ambition is still 1,ll'1S?l'ElS1ClCCl. One thing yet he desires, and at last he obtains it, the chair of mechanical engineering at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute. Wlien this is obtained, his future is assured, and johnson will devote his time to explain- ing that the projection of the intersection is the intersection of the projection. Our electrical genius, Bro. jones, will, in time, equal, if not surpass, our wonderful Wizarcl. He will delve deep into the mysteries of electricity, and will make many valuable experiments. He will search for two things. Une, an elec- trical apparatus capable of doing a man's thinking, and some means by which electricity may be used for renewing youth. He will marry early in life, if possible, buthis wife will live in constant fear of death from some of the many electrical con- trivances which he will possess. Again, my vision shows to me two whose lives are closely connected. So necessary have they become to one another s happiness that their future would be nothing to them were they compelled to embark alone upon the sea of life. So, sharing each others joys and sorrows, McBryde and Cannon travel slowly down the river of time. It is plainly seen that McBryde,s one element is society. I see him the leader of the fashionable set in some-unknown city, and Cannon will be-led. He will be content to follow in the footsteps of his leader, knowing that through the intricate mazes of society's whirl he will be safely conducted. So be it. Now comes Culpeper's rival, McNiel. His life will be spent in Blacks- burg, where he will have charge of the sewerage system of the town. He will be sued for breach of promise by a maiden of uncertain age, who has bestowed upon him her youthful Q?j affections. But the reputation which he gained while at Virginia Polytechnic Institute will stand him in good stead. And when he has shuffled off this mortal coil, he will be refused admittance into the kingdom of His Satanic Majesty, because His Majesty knows that he, like Culpeper, will 4' lie himself nine times out of Hades, so it will be useless to let him in when he first makes application. One of our celebrities next passes in review. Dr. Mitchell, noted for his eccentricity and his good humor, will, the prophet fears, come to some bad end. But since he will have such a responsible position, it is to be hoped he will con- tinue sane, at least. In my vision he appears as engineer on that great road which will be laid between Blacksburg and Christiansburg. His train will never be behind time, and the mail will reach Blacksburg on the day which it was intended that it should. His passengers needlnot fear him to be a crazy engineer. Palmer will enter for a time upon his chosen profession, a mechanical engineer. His future reputation will rest upon the fact that he is an earnest follower of Izaak Vlfalton. Happiest will he be when sitting by some babbling stream with a trout line in his hands. He will be connected with some great 31

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man. His faith in woman will be destroyed. But at last the high position which he shall hold, and the many honors accompanying it, makes it necessary for him to have a help-mate, and he chooses one who is wealthy, fair, fat and forty, for service, not for love. The other Taylor has, as my vision sees it, a future still more brilliant. In honor and wealth, perhaps, he will not be greater, but his affaire du coeuri will be fraught with more happiness. He and the Wiseman will open' an office together, the one dispensing aid to suffering humanity in the form of medicines, the other using his legal knowledge to get them out of difficulty. A physician of no mean ability will this Taylor be, winning fame, and honor, and blessings at every turn in life. Throughout the land shall his wonderful cures be published, and these shall be to him a monument that shall stand through the ages to come. Wearied with the faithful duties of many years, he retires from public life, seeking a much-needed rest in the peaceful enjoyment of a happy home. A gentleman of travel my vision shows to me, also. Waring will wander through foreign lands, by the side of rivers which mortal man has never crossed, through pathless forests and unknown plains. His life shall be one of pleasure, and few of the troubles so common to us mortals shall beset him. After many years of wandering in foreign lands he shall return to his native country to find himself famous, the lion of the hour. But now the vision begins to grow dim. Almost it has passed from me. Yet by its waning light I behold the future of the two last of the men of '98, One of them, Whitehurst, a great electrician, will aim to be, but a few years' trial at Vir- ginia Polytechnic Institute will convince him that his forte is not electricity, and he will seek for other things. So disturbed does the vision appear to be after this, that I think he must develop into a jack-at-all-trades, comprising every- thing from a book-agent to a socialistic reformer. The last will probably bring him notoriety, if not fame, and will be the most congenial occupation in which he may engage. Through all his life runs the same conscientiousness which char- acterized him when Officer-of-the-Day at Virginia Polytechnic Institute, so his work will always be thorough. Quickly the vision is passing away, so quickly that the phophet fears he shall not be able to see the future of the 'K Wise man of the class. But, looking quickly, by the fading light he can see him the legal adviser of many men, assist- ing them out of the many difhculties which are apt to surround them. The first opportunity he has of showing to an expectant world his eloquence will be in a divorce case, but future ages must tell you if he was successful. From law to politics is only a short step, and now our Wise man is in his element. He will win-. Ah, the vision has passed, its brightness has faded away, all is dark and vague. As, in its brightness and splendor, it has shown to the prophet the future of the men of '98, so has he recorded it. But the vision has passed away, gone to join the many, many dreams and ambitions which long ago have vanished, we know not where, and with it passes- THE PROPHET. 33