Importance of Self Reliance Offers stone in your life's journey. It marks the successful completion of your preparatory work and your entrance into the greater school of life. You will now take up duties, cares and responsibilities of men. You are all mariners about to make a voyage over untried seas. Your destination is the harbor of honorable success. To gain this much prized harbor, each one must sail his bark alone, must be captain, pilot and crew in one, and depend upon himself only. We older mariners, who have been over the greater part of the journey, can tell you of the reefs and shoals that you must avoid if you would make the voyage in safety. Have courage, with determination you will surely gain the harbor. How fortunate for you that heaven has elected that you should begin your careers in the best of all countries, at the greatest period of the world's history—at time when civilization is more advanced than ever before, when Advantages great accomplishments and high ideals are more appreOur Country ciated than at any time in the past, when you can take up your work without being retarded by strifes, prejudices and bigotries that warped the minds of men in the ages past. The country of your birth has always been the champion and promoter of liberty and happiness. It places the great book of knowledge within your reach and gives equal opportunities to all. The diploma you will receive is a recognized certificate of high merit, for though young, the Colorado School of Mines your beloved Alma Mater-is known the world over for the excellence of its work. Importance of your Profession You are equally fortunate in the profession which you have chosen, for in its pursuit the world is your field. Your services are needed in Spain, where the Romans left off work over two thousand years ago, or in the rich gold fields of Abyssinia, where King Solomon played the part of miner, as in Cripple Creek or Nevada. Wherever there are mineral deposits, and they are found in nearly all countries of the earth, there is a preferential call and demand for the American engineer and metallurgist, in carrying out the development and operation of mines in a successful, modern, and scientific manner. What a wonderful field of research and discovery is open to you in the great mineral storehouse and laboratory of nature. We are only at the beginning of knowledge of the deposits and the powers and properties of the rarer minerals. Radium, that miracle of the century, will illustrate what I mean. We know but little of its properties, but even that little fills us with wonder and amazement, and hints at undreamed of possibilities in this unexplored region of physical science. The duties of your profession cover every feature of mining, from the improvement on a sluice box to the discovery of perpetual power through some hidden force of nature. Dear Mother Nature! So penurious toward the indolent, so generous to the energetic and competent. She gives you hearty welcome to her ranks of active workers. She bids you direct your energies to the improvement of the utilitarian and commercial side of your profession, to search the earth's surface, the darkened drifts and caverns beneath, even the atmosphere, for unknown minerals, and new powers and substances to be utilized for the benefit and blessing of mankind. The advent of the mining engineer has lifted mining from a plane of reckless speculation to that of legitimate, safe, and lucrative investment. The time is past when the man who thinks of investing in mines will act upon the opinion of the optimistic, though honest, prospector. The mining investor of to-day demands cold. facts based on conservatism and not upon golden and glittering generalities. He trusts all to the honesty and ability of the scientifically trained mining engineers; so Danger Signals along Life's Pathway Character that the world, whilst it offers you a wide field and rich rewards for success, expects of you in return a high degree of character and efficiency. In the performance of your duties, and in the efforts you will put forth towards the realization of your hopes and ambitions, there are certain principles of conduct by which you must be governed if you would succeed. I will tell you some of the danger signals along life's way; and what my experience nas taught me is essential to success. My young friends, your first care must be the building up and perfecting of a high and noble character. Without having manly and upright principles you cannot be a factor in life, nor can you reach the goal of Building real success. Character is one of the greatest powers in the world. Men of genuine excellence in every station in life, men of industry, of integrity, of high purpose, of sterling honesty, command spontaneous homage and the confidence of their fellow man. In building such a beautiful temple, let it be constructed on the foundation of virtue, love and truth. With these as your guiding star, there is no position or reward that you may not aspire to-no sphere in life, be it humble or great, that you may not honor and adorn. Ambition, Self Do not Turn Back A stream can never rise higher than its source, and you can never realize a greater success than you believe you can, therefore place your ambitions high. Have absolute confidence in yourself without egotism. Don't be diverted from your profession-a Jack of all trades seldom succeeds in any. Bring enthusiasm to your work, for without enthusiasm there can be only half-hearted labor. No matter what difficulties may arise, no matter how much harder your work may be than you anticipated, do not waver or turn back. Remember that there are times in every career when thorns are more plentiful than roses. It is at such seasons that your manhood must assert itself, that the strength of your purpose must be proved. Being easily satisfied with mean things is one great drawback in life. Never admit the possibility of failure. Aim high and make past mistakes stepping stones to success. Remember it is only what we work for, what comes to us through our own efforts, that brings real satisfaction. Do not imagine that the opportunities of other years do not exist to-day; there is a greater demand for men of sterling character and high ability than ever before. I will grant you that the world is well supplied with mediocrity, but with men of trained knowledge, who can make their own opportunities, accomplish things, and become sucessful leaders and doers-decidedly not. The world teems with opportunities. It is for you to see and grasp them, and by your own merit prove worthy of them. As the Chicago merchant said to his son, "there is always room at the top, but the elevator is not running, you must walk up the stairs on your own feet.” Remain students all through life. Although you have a good technical and theoretical education, it is but a small part of what you can learn in the broad school you are entering. In the sphere of your profession don't be too final and positive in your ideas concerning the limitations of nature in depositing her minerals or her precious stones. To illustrate my meaning I will tell you an experience I had. In 1875 I went to the Black Hills with a party of men from Central City, who were looked upon as being the ablest mine operators in Gilpin County. In the fall and winter of 1876 I was engaged in house building in Deadwood. One day Smoky Jones, the discoverer of the great Homestake mine, came to my shop and asked me to do some trifling job for him. His clothes were old and worn, his hair and long beard uncombed and frazzled, his face and hands were strangers to soap and water; in fact he looked rather seedy all Demand for Room at the Top Personal Smoky Jones and I am Advised to Reject Smoky's Offer round. I liked him from the first, for I felt that beneath this outer garb of shabbiness there dwelt a charming and lovable personality. It was about lunch time; I asked him to come and take luncheon with me, and although I knew he was hungry, he accepted with reluctance. We became quite well acquainted during the meal, and, on his leaving, I told him to come and see me whenever he came to town. He often came and I saw to it that he never "hit the trail back," as the boys used to say, without first having a good meal. He brought me specimens from his prospect, told me all about it and one day proposed that I become his partner and help him to develop it. I told him I knew nothing of mining, but would consult my friends in Colorado, which I did a short time after. I told them of Smoky's offer and asked them to advise me. They said, have nothing to do with it, that it was in a slate formation and was only a freak; that no mine could be a mine worth fooling with that was not a true fissure vein in granite. A true fissure vein in granite! How well do I remember with what oracular wisdom those words were spoken; they cling to my memory to this very day. They went on and described how it should have a quartz pay streak with a porphyry and quartz filling; they limited the dip and angle it should have; they orated on how it was made, how the gold was put into it, and ended by saying that no mine could be a mine that was not built on the exact lines of those in Gilpin County. Having had no experience, I looked upon them as oracles, and wonErroneous dered where they got all their "learning." Keenly disIdeas of appointed, I told Smoky my friends advised me not to Certain accept his generous offer. The false, narrow, and posMining Men itive ideas that were generally entertained at that time by Colorado mining men, in matters relating to mining, kept them from acquiring a single one of the great Black Hills properties, although numbers of them were among |