The Portland daily press., 1870-07-02

| for poorer" But it was in Botany that we
| gained our brightest laurels. No back. lard, no
| tenderly cherished plant, not even old Ocean
/ himself was SAT-. from the enthusiastic botanst
| of the .cass of TO-" We tanned, we burned
| we freclsIed and "s,ll in the cause of science"
| How could we wear green wells or gracefully
| carry plrasolS, when we were required to be
| prone on mother earth in search of the
| most Minute of her offspring Our hands were
! fearful to look upon. MANY were the scars
they bore won in thousand battles" We
digged and We delved way down into the bow
| els of the earth until we almost saw the land
of "Pistails and Celestials" Here as ever the
young gentlemen distinguished themselves re-
| gardess of life and limb. They scaled precip
| ltous mountains, they explored treacherous
| Dogs and mysterious swamps, they bravely at
lacked belligerent cows; in fact, we often asked
ourselves whether Botany was made for boys
| or boys for Botany. la chemistry, so impress
| ed we've our youthful minds with the exDlo-
| siveness Of light carburetted hydrogen that
we passed this period of our lives in mortal
| terror, expecting momentarily to be- blown
sky high like into SO small rockets But the
close OF our junior year NOT came slowly on
At last We watched the departure of the class
OF 60. that jolly old class of saints, sinners aud
phuns" -P-H-U-N-S, With fear and trembling
we looked forward to September when We were
TO assume the vacant seats aud dignities of the
senior class. At length the dread time
rived, we became the graduating class of 20.
Modestly, yet with a just appreciation of our
work we bore our biushing honors. Never
was there such class; grace, BEAUTY, modestv,
manliness, strength, genius, all combined. We
ourselves, while pondering upon this subject
are really astonished at the number of talent
ed beings gathered together in our midst We
often ask ourselves whether the introduction
of SO much fiery and combr stible matter into
the world will be beneficial to commerce, to
nations, to the Ogdensburg railroad, to the
universe. Time alone will show! But little
time had we to reflect or ponder on anything.
Like Hercules we put our shoulders to the
wheel. O., shade of Marcus Tullius Cicero,
what misery you caused u.s. We pored over
your ''De Amlcitia;" our youthful brains, tor
tured and distressed, we groaned and we
grumbied, but Cicero "nemoriae mandamus
est pobs" therefore "factum est with what
signs of relief we escaped to astronomy, that
lofty science, and therefore especially suited to
lofty minds. Enthusiastic as ever on wintry
nights. we ventured out on the hOuse-toDs we
perched ourselves on the top Of sky-lights, we
balanced ourselves on rickety fences 10 trace
the consultations But alas! for ambitious
dreams! We acquired more rheumatism than
knowledge, and we all became martyrs 10 sci
atica, pleurisy, neuralgia, asthma aud other
dear old Horace with his "green trees, bah.
bling brooks and laughing girls" Although
we occasionally trembled still this period of
our lives We passed in comparative peace and
comfort. And now our four years at the Port
land High School are over and gone; we 80
young ladies are all previously afflicted with
consumption while the young gentlemen all
intend speeding away to the "South of France"
to preserve what little lungs are remaining to
them. We have burned the midnigh5 oil to
such an alarming client that the price of that
useful commodity is materially in creased
and it now eau be afforded only by those
possessed of princely fortunes, and all
these calamties proceed from one cause. Our
close application; Oh! you that labor, and you
that learn, profit by the example of the ga"
emaciated beings here before You! Be warned!
Desist in time! But now that the hour has
come to which we have looked forward for so
long; now that the hour has come, when we
must leave school, and the "Old familiar faces"
we sadly say what must be said, Farewell.
Everetts "Elevating Influences of Astrono-
my was well delivered by Mr.. Warren w.
Cole. He was followed by Misses Mary A. L.
Burton and Beulah p Mosely in charming
vocal Duet "The Battle of Life at the con-
clusion of which the "Trial scene from the
Merchant of Venice" was read with good taste
and spirit by some half dozen young ladies'.
We have the pleasure of laying before our
readers the Glass Poem by Miss Harriet Brad
ley, which exhibits poetic talent that will be
heard from in the future. 1t is entitled
LOOKING TOWARD THE SUNSET.
TIE weary day is over and the burden it has brought
We may leave until tae morrow, with its burning
bitter thought, --.f-
nd the peace that follows conflicts comes DER the
busy town
As we stand in the open doorway watching the sun
go down.
There's hush throughout the forests scarce muir
muir in the land;
There are sghings mid the breezes that We cannot
understand.
To our asking thus they whisper gazing toward the
Look you, there the king lies dying! all me- that such
Full Of awe looked before me- toward the monarch
OF the sky,
around his head; -'"'A
ROYAL splendors cannot keep him, he is gong-he is
From the wondrous tinted hangings gently falls the
tender light,
Down across the folds OF clever fir beyond the river
dim, ~ " =. =
While the singers of the woodlands join in nature
evening hymn.
SWeetly swells the chorus upward lul.ins all the
Me rily chimes in the broollet ripping downward to
the deep;
And the air is full of music gently floating over head
Songs of courage for the living songs of victory for
the dead.
Quiet happy summer evening-would your peace
might always stay s
WIZ the c,o %e1ey working people struggling through
utd the day were ever closing when We, standing
with the rest,
Bow beneath the benediction coming from the gold
en- west.
OF happy careless school lfe what has been and
what may be;
Tn ughts Of the unknown hereafter, that unto us all
shall come,
Which can only be unfolded when all "weary days"
are done.
Darkness deepens, night is coming, every bird has
Up above the Stars are shining, down below the
world g at rest,
Ard the twilight gathering slowly drives me from
In my heart the sunset lngcrs gone without forever
more.
The Boys Prophecies by George H.
Curtis, aboundcd in witty illusions to the pc
culiar ills of the boys, and were received with
loud applause, and was followed by the essay
I'VE Build better than we Know by Eliza
beth w. Barrett. The speaker commenced
with speaking of the times just before the Re.
formation when all Europe was rent with the
grOans OF tue sufferers from religious persecu-
ton, and then TUNED to the present when all
people are allowed to worship as they choose,
and showed that to Martin Luther the world
owed its religious privileges; to Martin Luther,
the ReiOrmer, who builded better than he
knew. Every one must be the architect Of his
own fortunes and his own character, and to
God will each be accountable in the end. The
workman builds but he cannot tell how. He
fears failure, but the world at large gazes with
wonder on the beauty of his work. So we fear
that we shall fail; but If we build on the right
principles, though we may not see ourselves
the fruit of our work the successive ages will
witness it and reap the harvest. We bold in
our hands the fate of myrads yet UNBORN, md
the world must bear the imprint OF our work.
IT we build careessly the worse it will be for
us, for We must render an account of our stew
ardship at last. E7ery word aud thought is
waited up to the throne of God. and we'll will
it be for US if the work that we have builded
shall stand the test of His approval.
The vocal quartette that followed was excel
lently sung, aud at its conclusion the the last
essay followed, entitled, "Pyrites.' Miss
Scales referred to the story of those adventure
ers who, discovering yellow sands in the river,
thought they had found the precious metal,
but alas! their gltterng dust was only de-
cep'iOn known to mineralOgists as fools
gold" So it is in Ii e; we are apt to rear our
have wasted our energies il the pursuit of
| fools god. We gain the crown but find that
| the jewels that sparkled so bright in the dis
| lance are lustreless when brought within our
| reach We bow down to false go1s, and only
bitter experience teaches US that while We gain
what we seek, happiness is wanting. and it is
| Only when we come to the dark valley that we
| look back to see that We have tOiled in vain.
The Boys Valedctory,' bv Mr.. Charles
Perry, was finished effort. Referring to the
| future OF America, he painted glowing pic
| ture. He claimed that being an ambitious
| and energetic people, when we eventually
should have annexed Canada, and the people
| of the South should toll with their hands;
when the West,was filed with magnificent