Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1879-06-16
PLEASANT OCCASION.
BELLAIRE HIGH SCHOOL COMMENCE
MENT.
A Large and Select Audience-The Exer-
cses Of the Eyening-Presenta-
ton Of DiplOmas-leVee
The Alumni.

The entertainment given by the grad
uating class of the Bellaire High School
at the Presbyterian church in that city
last Friday night was but the second
annual commencement ever held by
that institution. Just year ago the
first graduates took their leave OF school
life, and although that occasion was
memorable one, and the pupils who
participated acquitted themselves with
much credit, the commencement this
year eclipsed it in almost every particu,
lar. The efforts of the graduating class
perhaps were not ADLER, but in other re-
spects comparison must favor this one.
The greatest Improvement was In the
character of the audience. a minister
said to us Friday evening that he never
saw so select an audience in Bellaire be-
fore. though he has faced hundreds OF
! congregations on occasions OF all kinds
in the last ten years.
The Church was crowded, there not
being even standing room unoccupled,
although the two large class rooms were
thrown into the larger room, itself COM
modious.
| On the platform were seated the six
| graduates Prof. J. T. Duff, superintend-
ent of the city schools, Miss NJ. B. Cor
bv. principal of the High School, Rev.
b. S. Dean, Rev. VIM. Castor, Rev. D..
| ". Toland, DIR. j. CT. Mccullough, and
! Messrs. X. NJ. McGaw, James Darrah
and Fred. Rodewig, of the Board OF Ed
| ucatiOn. In the audience we noticed
number OF persons from Wheeling, and
also from other places. The alumni,
! Messrs. Stewart, Faris and ThOburn, OF
Bellaire, and Miss Blankinsop, OF PhiIa-
delphia, occupied prominent positions.
The music, furnished by Fosters or
| chestra, a home institution, was no.
ticcable improvement on the instru-
mental part OF last years entertain
ment. and was evidently listened to
with pleasure by the audience. This
| band of musicians deserves credit Tor
| their perseverance in spite. OF the lack
of appreciation ON the part OF the better
class of citizens, which is alone to blame
that the orchestra is not better.
Rev B. S. Dean, OF the Disciples
| Church, offered an earnest invocation
prayer, after which
MISS ALICE FITTON
read her essay, the subject OF which was
| tBumps." The treatment was as orig
inal as the topic and the readers viva
| ciOus delivery was peculiarly in keep
ING with the style Of her production.
Her freedom from sell consciousness or
awe Of her audience, and yet equal
| freedom from aileCtatiOn, was an agree
able feature of her performance. She
considered three kinds of bumps: phren-
ological bumps, stumbling blocks or OBJ
| staCles, and simply bumps. She ex-
pressed some faith in the science OF
! phrenoogy, and showed, in her remarks
upon that division of her subject, that
! she had learned to observe and study
human nature. Her allusion to "briga-
dicrs" produced a smile, as did also her
description of the "ladies' man, for
which character she seemingly had
much contempt. In the second kind OF
bumps named, she alluded
10 the helpful examples OF
CYRUS Field and the Atlantic cable;
Robert Stephenson, and his steam en-
zine, and other men who had won lame
and conferred great boons upon man
kind bypersistcnt effort to overcome Oh.
stacles. And upon her last kind of
bumps she did not enlarge, letting an
illustration suffice, as the Illustration
probably would, inasmuCh as it located
the bump on the end of a nose which
came i'm sudden contact with a door in
the dark. She closed with an express
sion of the determination of the class to
overcome all obstacles, and combat the
dumps" of life in such way that IN the
end their lifes record might be a credit
To themselves and an honor to the kind
teachers and loved friends who had thus
far helped them over the bumps and
rough places OF lie.
The essay was received by the audi
ence with round OF hearty applause,
and a number of beautiful bouquets
were showered at the feet OF the essayist
when she finished.
BEN. :. CowEN,
a son Of Gen. b. K. Cowen, Of Delaware,
Ohio. chose as the pervading thought of
the Grafton pronounced by him, Call
Ipn's EXPRESSION, THE World does
Move" His conception Of the subject
was a thoughtful one, and his execution
GOOD. His delivery was also fair, though
nr was lust little too warm IN ms IN
PRODUCTION, and forgot that "Eloquence
is action-nohie, sublime, GodIike ac-
tion." His Grafton was received with
marked approval 10y the audience, as
testified by their applause, and the num-
a 4y5l. ~ ~
made the rccipirI I. "FrOm the begin
ming Of time ne said, "whcn the world
was thrown out into space from the
hand oi its Creator, the law OF motion
has been stamped upon everything
| There has been never pause, never 4
! single moment Of rest, but revolution
| has followed revolution; around and
around i'm It's orbit it has sped with
! tirelcss swiitness, and SO will move ull
! fine shall be no more" After a
lengthy consideration of the har-
mony of motion in all creation,
! in a literal sense, he proceeded
TO the discussion OF the progress
in civilization Of the nations OF the earth.
"NVp watched the less civilized OF these
nations through the telescope OF our
! own experience, anu We hLoN wv, "ii'
soon reach that part OF their orbits in
which the suns Of their destinies will be
in pcrigee." They are whirling onward
to the dawning Of day which cannot be
dimmed. They have passed under the
refu'gent ravs OF Art, the strong and
stealv beams OF Science, within the
range of Literature. But their day has
! not dawned until they feel the warming
influence Of a more glorious luminary.
The name of this star is Religion.
MISS ELLA b. GORBY
! asked "Whv?' Her choice OF title was
happy one, and her voice, sweet and
gentle, vet audible in all parts OF the au-
! dience. and her modest and graceful de-
meanor, united to make her share in the
entertainment an exceedingly pleas
ant one to her hearers. The many
WHY'S which, answered, have all
| dri to the sun OF human knowl-
edge, from Galileo's experience with
! the cathedral chandelier to Franklin ;