The daily gazette., 1879-06-21
THE CLASS OF 20.

| N'N''i VI i4N iGhi AIN siTsNA
The commencement exercises of the
Boys High school were held in the
Grand Opera House, last evening, and
the occasion, as usual drew an audience
that filled the house in every part. 1t
was an occasion of great interest, and
Notwithstanding the oppressive heat the
audience maintained their positions tothe
end, and evidenced their pleasure in the
exercises by frequent and hearty bursts
of applause.
The stage was fitted up for this occa-
sion in a very pretty and appropriate
manner, the garden and terrace scenery
being used. The floral decorations were
exceedingly fine, comprising four beautl-
tul flower stands on the front of the stage
(the flowers being mainly presents for
the graduates, from their friends) three
exquisite hanging baskets, and three
stands of rare plants, two of the latter
being at tina foot of the terrace steps, and
one at the top. A handsome set of
furniture, kindly loaned for the occasion
| by l.. +. Adair, was also on the stage,
and served to greatly increase the effect
of the other arrangements.
Around small table at the lower
side Of the stage were piled a number of
packages, which, it was readily apparent,
contained presents for the graduates
from their kind and appreciatve friends.
BY the time the exercises commenced
this pile of presents had assumed formid-
able proportions, and showed thatt while
the graduates were not unusually strong
in numbers they had hosts of friends,
who remembered them with the utmost
| ;inlnngc in tl,is inn ri a If apnah nf fhair
lives.
The exercises were presided over by
Prof. S. J. Wiley, principal of School
No. /, and on the stage were the follow
ing,gentlemen were seated: Henry Eckel
President of the Board of Education ;
ii. G. Conrad and Col. b. X. Heislel,
the Board of Education Committee on
School No. {; John II. Adams, Esq,
Hon. Vim. G.. Whiteley, Revs. 7. M.
Eastwood, of the First Baptist Church,
Rev. j. w. Kaye, ofSt. Andrews Church,
and Rev. J. w. Frost, of Trinity Chapel.
Prof. ii. W. Purnell, (President) and
Prof. w. McCaulley Jefieris, of Della
ware College.
The exercises opened with musical
selection by Richie's full orchestra, after
which the first graduate, George Thomas
Brown, made his bow to the audience,
and delivered an Grafton on "Being on
Time" lie said that every avocation in
life requires certain qualifications in order
to insure success, and that the most es-
sential qualifications was exactness in
time, manner and action. He then
spoke of the evil of the effects of the
ack of punctuality, in business life, and
contrasted them with the good effects
that invariably follow the practice OF
"Being on Time," in everything thai
pertains to business success. Master
Brown also delivered the salutatory ant
heartily extended to the audience cor
dial welcome to the exercises of the
evening.
Walter Curtis was the next orator
and his theme was s'Public Honesty.
He concluded that we had arrived at the
age of shams, and that they extended
from parlor to business life, as was evi.
denced by so many men doing business
on fictitious capital, and finally failing
and involving innocent sufferers in theil
ruin. Abiding to the great dishonesty
and malfeasance in public office, he con
cluded that the chief reason for this evil
was the sudden elevation to responsible
positions of men who were unfit to per-
form the duties devolving upon them
He expressed the opinion that differ
ent mode of awarding political offices, by
which men would be selected for theil
fitness and not for their political intlu
,, ence, would decrease the alarming I
tent of the official dishonesty of the pre-
sent day. Public education, he als'
said, would prove a great incentive t.
public honesty.
Stephen Norris Fogg next delivered al
able Grafton on "Pr judice." The ele
ment of prejudice, he said, had its main
spring in ignorance, though it was fas
spreading into all departments of society
and into every avenue of social life. Ii
? portrayed the prejudices that exist il
pol tics, in race, in color, and generally
in one class Of people against another
=, He alluded to the great difficulty, if no
: mpossiblity, of entirely eradieating al
Z prejudices from the mind, but Jagged th
Q Importance of eDdeavoring to uproo
4 them when they hamp r our opinion
0 or warp our judgment.
The orchestra next favored the audi
ence with splendldly executed medley
a including selections from "Annie Laurie
r "Coming thro' the Rye" and other pop
4 ular airs.
\ Robert Emmet Sayers delivered al
r oration on "Popularity" in which he sal
: that men are naturally ambitious, an
alluded to the many questionable mean
which some men use in order to acqun
{ pc sonal popularity. He described SOM
> of the causes that lead men to secur
/ public appreciation, and said the easiest
A truest, noblest way to distinction was t.
o do right.
e "Party Spirit" was the theme of
: wel-prepared Grafton by Frank Menden
e hall Black. He spoke of the natura
= dislike of most men to be convinced
: that they were in the wrong, and to thi
t nature attributed much OF the part
d spirit that is in existence. he alluded
;. to the great effect of party spirit upo
d the pc pie during all political disputes
d and claimed that it frequently deprived
: voters of their independence, inducin
i them to vote against he dictates of thei
S better Judgment. A legitimate resul
a of blindly obeying party spirit tn
d orator said would be inefficient officer:
expensive governments, high taxes an
S ali he other evils that follow in tn
;, train of incompetent rule.
S Warren Hamilton Farra next steppe
e upon the stage, and delivered a crisp an
;. sparkling Grafton on "The Press and it
Abuses. He said that nowhere is th
r press so respected and so Influential a
= it is in America. Here, it has an ac
f,aadn,, of ,uh h; II at q