Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1878-07-03
Closing Exercises Of Randolph Normal
School.


School.
Busy as must be the fates who preside
over commandments they found time to
plan. with the concurrence of Old Proha-
bilities, an enjoyable week for the Normal.
Thursday. at clock in the afternoon
the alumni were pleasantly entertained at
Normal Hall with an address by Hiram
Huse. Esq, as announced. and by short
speeches bv Col. J. b. Mead, Prof. Conant
and others.
Best of all. we were treated to a poem
by Miss Alice NJ Guernsey. late of the St.
Cloud Normal School, Minnesota, and Tor
four years an active, earnest teacher in
this Normal We shall hope to see it in
print some day, for it is impossible Qor
our tyro of pen) TO report " poetry.
Thursday evening Rev. Charles Van
Nurden of St. Adams gave 4 lecture in
the Congregational church; subect-Self'
Culture. While it would be impossible
to convey to the reader the many beauties
of thought and expression with which the
lecture was crowded, sketch of the train
Of thought may not be out of place. He
treated of the grand p 'ssibilities Of human
nature, and spoke of the attainment of
self culture under three heads: discern
ment, action, sympathy-to see, to do, to
feel. Under the first head were noted the
different conclusions different people ar
rive at by seeing. lie gave n vivid des'
crption of scene in the Adrondacks,
the endowment of which was married by
the question of long, lank Yankee
"Naow. Stranger, how many farms would
that are cut up into, so long. and so wide?
etc. All are more or less color-blind, but
The perfect eye contains three nerveS-a
nerve of beauty, II nerve of truth and a
nerve of righteousness. Man rarely in
vents, but remembers and foresees results
from causes which he must discern. The
secret of modern intellectual develop
ment is discernment always important
but now Indispensable.
Then the necessity of action, of follow
ing seeing by doing, was enlarged upol
and excmplihed The central thought o
sympathy was that it brings the tremrn
dous might of discerning activity into har
mony with humanity. Many beautiful
illustrations were given, among which W,
can only mention the account of the devil
fish and the wonderful history of the bloch
, of marble. The speaker excelled in dies
cription, his marvellous word painting be
ing aided by expressive delivery.
Altogether it WAS considered one of thu
best lectures ever given ut the Center.
As usual, II crowded house listened /,
t the exercises of the graduating C asses OIL
: Friday evening.
i, The class from the first course number
V sixteen, the second, four. The essay
$ were many of them good-all containe
: some good. We noticed particularly th
y essay on Faces, by Miss Rawson, the di-
: cussion by Misses Dana and Gates, an
the orations by Putnam and R,lph.
a Miss Rtwson's essay was original, wei
T. expressed nd audible.
Miss Putnams essay on Spheres wa
q also very good and read with exceller
If tone and enunciation.
:. Of the second course essays, they wor
G fine. The bold, free style of the compar
. son of the 1.-TWO chief devils of the de
s mouiacal kingdom and the unusuall
S distinct pronunciation and fine tone of I'll
= reader won hearty applause.
Miss Gertrude Shipman's essay wa
a marked by II quantity humorous original
n ty. Her division of martyrs was Shakes
T. pcrian. Some are born martyrs, som
If achieve martyrdom, some have martvrdor
J. thrust upon them" 1t touched upon on
q of the foibles of the human race.
i. The biographical sketch of Scott wa
Il of unusual excellence, being connected i
q thought wise in selection of words an
r finished in expression.
Miss Cleaveland's essay showed II
&c practical thinker, and contained man
lie good points
J. The music was furnished mainly by II
v, West Randolph band, the vocal music b,
"a ing a trio and Il male quartet and Il
a class song and hymn.
If The Normal school is evidently in frs
y, u class condition, doing thorough work,
( might be expected from its board of teacl
10 ers. Col. Meads enterprise, the ne
y self boarding house, will add much to Il
g convenience of the school, and relieve Il
citizens somewhat of the drain upon the
a. accommodations.
W OF the esteem in which the school
S. held by past graduates, one may judge
t. the large number who were prese
he Thursday and Friday last, and, indee
~, throughout the week.
re Below We give the programme of exc
re cises:
rd INVOCATION
H.
HI. FIRST COURSE CLASS 4.
" Motto, C5itel Strength Is Stronger"
.. CLASS SONG.
Il Primary 2h5os. Sophia W. James Beth
II Labor is kluL. Charlie d. Gay, runbrldl
~ Wait. Minnie Camp, North RlndolI
=" MUSIC.
nc Drifting, James T.. Gay, Tunbrid,