ious activities that were then not
conceived of or conceivable, and the
complex web of modern civilization,
with all its myriad strands, inter
woven of the vast and swift activi
ties of modern life, is typified in the
activities of Pennsylvania more
than in those of any other common
wealth, so that the Governor
of this Commonwealth touches
more varied interests than the Gov
ernor of any other commonwealth
in the United States and touches
them more directly and intimately
than even the President of the
United States.
“It has often been said that in
Pennsylvania public life is corrupt;
that the officials are corrupt. One
distinguished gentleman a few years
ago went so far as to say in effect
that appropriations were habitually
made by the Legislature to chari
ties and to education for the sake of
the plunder or profit there was in
them for individuals interested.
May I be permitted in this public
manner, even at the risk of a seem
ing diversion,to say that The Penn
sylvania State College has never
paid, or been asked to pay, one
cent of money tor securing', or help
ing' to secure, any of the appropria
tions that it has received from the
State Legislature; nor have these
appropriations ever been made on
political or partisan grounds (ap
plause); and, further, that no pub
lic mail of Pennsylvania lias ever
tried to secure the appointment, dis
missal or retention of any member
of the Faculty of this College on
political, or personal, or social, or
religious, or ail)' other ground, ex
cept absolute merit, that the
leaders of the public lile of our
Stale have never, directly or indi
rectly, so far as 1 know, tiied even
to influence an appointment. That
is a record that 1 think not the
State College alone but the Slate ol
Pennsylvania may well be proud of,
in the case of an Institution that is
wholly under the control of the
State, and I cite it simply as one
of the facts within my own knowl
edge for a period ol more than
twenty years, that lielp to kindle
my indignation at the reckless and
shameful aspersions often thrown
upon the fair fame of Pennsylvania,
even by some of her own sons,
when such a course may seem to sub
serve their own immediate pur
poses;—but this is an aside, sug
gested to my mind in vivid contrast
to what is before our eyes to-dav.
What is more germane to this oc
casion is the fact that the present
Governor of Pennsylvania, a man
of such purity of life and character,
such irreproachable public and pri
vate conduct that even the shafts of
malice and venom have fallen harm
less at his leet, is with us to-day.
A Pennsylvanian of Pennsylvanians,
born on her soil, of a long line of
h.-r best ancestry, imbued with her
ideals, laillilul to her best stand
ards, proud ol her history and
achievements, with which he is
probably moie familiar than any
other living man, fearless in the
perlormance of duty, applying him
self with unstinting devotion to the
duties of his high office, jealous
alike of the welfare and the good
name ol the Commonwealth, he
stands in a goodly succession as a
fine tvpe of the scholar, the pat
riot and the gentleman whom a
free people may ireely elect. I
have great pleasure in introducing
to you His Excellency, Samuel W.
Ponnypacker. the Governor ot the
Commonwealth. (Great applause).
ADDRESS OP GOV. PEXNYPACKER.
“Mr. President, Ladies and Gen
tlemen.—
“I see by the programme that I
am here today to make an address
to vou and that address is not to be
GOV. S. W. I’ENNYPACKRK
one which is inlormal. Program
mes, like oilier human institutions,
are not infallible and are sometimes
enthusiastic. (Laughter.) I am
here not at all to make an address,
but to be present with you upon
this inleiesling occasion, to come
for the first tune to view your mag
nificat institution and its appoint
ments, to unite willi you young
gentlemen in giving greeting to
your generous and philanthropic
guest and, last but by no means
least, for the further reason that it
is very difficult to resist the per
suasiveness and persistency of
your very distinguished President.
(Great applause.)
“Every century has its own
ideals. No age is like the past.
We live in a tune of materialism.
We like to have things in the con
crete. The contemplations of
Plato and Socrates have been, to
a very large extent, forgotten, the
mysticism which characterized the
theological thought of the Middle
Ages has almost entirely disappear
ed and today the thought of man is
given to the rush of the locomotive
across the broad prairies, to the
erection of great bridges, to the
construction of factories where at
one end is put in the naked ore and
from the other end comes completed
steel work, wire fences and all the
form- and appliances of machinery.
This characterizes not only what
you see about you everywhere but it
lias affected and will continue to af
fect our colleges and schools. Now,
when a young man goes to a uni
versity he not only expects to ac
quire some knowledge of Latin and
Greek but he has an ambition to be
a full back or short stop. (Ap
plause) And, in your colleges,
while we have not neglected the
languages, while we have not ne
glected culture., there is an effort
everywhere to introduce manual
training, to teach the eye and the
baud in connection with the mind,
to leach young- men how they may
better pursue Agriculture, which
lies at the foundation of all tilings,
and Mechanics which lies at the
foundation of all modern progress.
"Now this impresses me as the
remaikable lesson to be learned
Irom the career of your guest here
today, Mr. Carnegie, that not only
is lie an architect and a builder who
has done his work with the utmost
unprecedented success but that as
is recognized the world ovei, in
Scotland, England, Germany, Rus
sia and Japan, as well as at home
among ourselves, by kings as well
as by people, his career is the su
preme representation of the spirit
of this age. (Applause)
“I am anxious that you, young
men, who are just starting out
upon your careers, should be
imbued by that spirit which was
referred lo by Mr. Fleitz in his fine
address to which we have just lis
tened, which inspired a lady to
whom I was talking last evening,
when her eyes brightened at the
suggestion ot her native slate of
Georgia—that you should properly
appreciate the community among
whom you were born, tiiat you