Arizona weekly miner., 1876-11-03
THE DEDICATION.

. l
 opening address, was very successful as an
 entertainment, and properly impressive as
 became the occasion. First of all the music
 was quite superior to anything in that line We have ever heard in Prescott, partly be- . cause of the acoustic qualities of the hall, , and partly because the singers were in excel
 lent voice and thoroughly trained. Mrs. Burmister at the organ is always perfect.
 Miss Williams, Mrs. W. C. and Miss Lizzie Bashford. Messrs Seed, Perkins and Clark
 constituted the choir and, if possible, i'm
 proved on all their former performances.
 Judge Rush was introduced by MT. Sher-
 man, the teacher, as the first speaker and all
 though he came entirely unprepared, expec-
 ting to hear Mir Masterson, he made neat
 little extemporaneous address and received
 the plandits of the audience as did each of
 the speakers in turn. Ed. W. Wells, Esq,
 was the next speaker. He had prepared
 himself and gave an interesting historical
 sketch of the progress of schools in Prescott
 from the earliest period of its settlement by
 white people down to the present, and com-
 pared the primitive and rude accOmmoda-
 tions of those early days with those which
 this grand structure affords.
 Rev. J. A Merrill followed in hearty and
 happy effort in behalf of free school educa-
 tion, and drew many apt comparisons that
 elcited loud and continued applause.
 Judge C. A. Tweed spoke earnestly and
 effectively in commendation of education as
 requisite to good citizenship and a neces-
 sary qualification for the exercise of sui
 frage. He took occasion to say that he hop
 ed to live to see the day when the ladies,
 who are qualified by education shall exer- else the elective franchise He had seen the day in Prescott, no more than six years ago, when it was not considered entirely safe to travel from the plaza to Fort Whipple with out arms for fear of the Apaches and his daughter had heard the report of rife in the hands of a savage, and the dying shrink of whiteman, within ear shot of where this beautiful building now stands, and dnOted the changed condition of affairs now.
 Judge F. L. B. Goodwin ''Came not here to speak," but being called for did speak at some length in his usual oratorical style, re- lating some of his own experiences as | teacher in Alabama, roasting yams in the ashes of the school house fireplace, mean while keeping his eye on his pupils for the double purpose of seeing that they were at tentive to their lessons and that none of l them got away with his yams. He was ire quently interrupted by applause.
 Judge Paul Weber and Rev. D. B. Wright excused themselves for not responding to calls to speak, although they each made few we'll timed remarks.
 Mir. George E. Brown was called for and responded in his usual happy style. He too was unprepared for speech, but was enthu- siastic in the cause of education. He said he did not claim to be very highly educated himself but would not give what he did know fer bar of gold as big as his arm and as long as across the plaza.
 We were about to forget that your humble servant had something to say, but like and yet unlike, some of those who preceded us We had expected to be called upon, but ow- ing to circumstances over which We had no | control had not had time to give the matter | a thought and merely opened our mouth and l let it talk at random. What we ought to have said and should have said if we had | thought of it would have been something like this: "The dedication of a school house Is great event in the history of any country" Then We should have enlarged upon that ide: and shown how and why it should be considered a great event, and why an occasion like this ought to open the mouths of the dumb and move them to speech, then we should have continued:
 If there is any one thing in nature, or in the whole round of privileges which may be purchased with money for which man should give up his cash, with less regret at parting with it, than another, it should be the payment of school taxes When look upon this noble structure and remember that the people have built it out of pure love for the children, feel proud of the people, and l proud of myself as one of the people whose privilege it has been to contribute, though but small amount, towards its erection. I esteem it the happiest, prerogative that has has been conferred upon me in Arizona to be allowed, and enabled, to pay my small pit ance, in the way of taxes in common with he rest of my fellow citizens towards the ( building of the finest, largest and most e e school house ever erected in any $ erritory. If it were my privilege to have a ny name inscribed upon any monument the Y 'eople could build, there to remain for all \ ime, to be read by coming generations in ne far of ages of the future, and I might c elect the spot where it should be written o~ would have it cut in enduring letters in d hat granite block that adorns the front of t' he tower of this temple of learning now d,