The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1880-06-29


The aEst commencement exercises ever known
In the history Of tlas inssitution took place at
0ailie's Hall. On Thursday last, The 94th inst
Although the Seminary was chartered very many
years ago, and haa been in operation ever since,
and although b was endowed with power to
confer diplomas and degrees, this power has
never been exercised until the present occasion
The very
McLElEKNT WAITER
oil Thursday morning mot only prevented many
from attending the exercises, bat greatly him
dered and delayed the beginning Of the enter
tainment, Is the rain fell in torrenfs and 1t was
wonder that any one. especially the ladies and
children. would venture out in such storm.
Yet the hall was well filled, and the interest
manifested in the matter by the friends and pa
irons Of the school. and the citizens generally.
was very gratifying.
The Jewish population, always and every
where the most ardent and faithful friends to
the cause of educatiOn0 was largely represented
in the audience
THE STAGE
was occupied by the members of the Board of
Education, members OF the State Cabinet. the
judiciary and the Clergy, Principal of the Sem
mary, The members of the graduating class and
the two under graduates, who had parts in the
exercises. We regret that the assistant teachers,
Mrs 5. 5. Williams and Miss Betty Bythewood
OF the female department, and W. w. Wood
ward, OF the male department, being men,
bers OF the faculty, were not provided with
places on the platform. 1t was not less
their right than their duty TO be there The
pupils OF the Seminary occupied conspicuous
position Immediately in front OF the Stage, and
were attentive and we'll behaved, enjoying the
exercises to the utmost.
The Tallahassee brass band was in attendance,
and furnished good music for the interludes
The Rev. DR.. Carter, of the St Johns (Episco-
paD Church, offered the opening prayer, after
which briet but well expressed welcome was
extended to the audience, in
THE sALUTAToRY,
which was read by an Undergraduate, Miss
Achsa Smith, in q clear and distinct voice and
in charming manner.
Then followed the essay of the fair graduate,
MISS JESSIE t. BERNARD,
entitled Progress" production in every re-
spect worthy of the occasion, the institution,
the talent of the young lady, and the skill of
her instructors. Having promised that there
were two kinds of progress, the positive and
the negative and wildly illustrated the former
by describing the natural processes of the forma-
ton of the earth, the advancement of civiliza-
ton, and in the arts, the sciences, religion, cu
ture, manners, and in all human intelligence and
knowledge from the earliest ages down to the
perfection Of the present day; and the latter by
alluson TO the disintegrating forces of time and
of nature, the destructive forces of crime ignor-
ance, superstition, inhumanity, intemperance,
and of the more common and venial offences
against morality, public and private, which
everywhere exist, she applied the striking lesson
of the contrast to the labors the hopes and yicis
STUDIES OF school life and school progress, and
urged the companions to whom she was about
to bid farewell, to press onward and upward in
the right path to see TO 1t that their progress
was positive, not negative; to remember that
they must, mentally and morally, constantly be
going either backward or forward they could
not stand still they could not enter into a con-
dition OF perfect hamilton; all that they did, all
that they thought or said, or lived, or acted,
must, in the nature of things be either in the di
now was the time for them to choose, and for
their whole lives, determine which ii should be-
THE SCHOOL vALEDICToRY,
delivered by Miss Nellie Bassett, an under -gradu-
ate, was, in substance and sentiment, one of the
best written and most satisfactory performances
of the kind we ever heard and was read with
fine effect, fully sustaining the reputation of the
young lady for that excellence in Rhetoric which
won Tor her the highest prize of the institution
THE CLASS vALEDICToRY,
was read by Miss Jennie G. Tatum, one of the
graduates in a clear and impressive manner
Referring first to the numberess incidents of the
school lite now past which would never be for
gotten the sadness which accompanied all part
ings, but especially the separation of teachers
and schoolmates so long associated in the daily
business of the school-life; the hopes OF youth
and the anticipations and aspirations for the
future, which mingle with the regrets Of separa-
ton; she urged the importance of SO tempering
those ambitions and hopes that regrets might not
in future years mingle with the recollection Of
their realization or their failure No one can
ever expect the complete realization OF all the
hopes or ambitions or autcipations which throng
the mind in early life but if life is so lived that
whatever of good or of evil shall come, there
need be cause at the last for self abasement or
humiliation or regret for unworthy motives or
actions, then life would be q success indeed.
Urging her associates of the school she was about
to leave forever, to so live and so labor that
worldly pleasures and vain desires would be
subordinated to the grander realities of life;
and to emerge from the chrysalis Of the school
room not butterflies but true women" she spokea
tender and affecting adieu to teachers and shool-
mates and gracefully retired.
PROFESSOR JAMES D. WADE,
who has had charge Of the Seminary as Princi-
pal for the past seven years, presented the diplo
mas 10 the graduates with few brief remarkA
in which he took occasion to say, that having
severed his connection with the Seminary he
felt free to offer few Suggestions 10 the Board
of Education and the patrons of the school. He
stated that he had deeply felt the remarkable in
difference which had been manifested by those
| whose children had been and were now being
educated in the Seminary; that in the entire
course Of his connection with 1t he could not re-
member that single lady had ever visited it as
mother or guardian, to see how the children were
progressing, or to manifest any interest in their
welfare; and but few gentlemen had ever visited
the school except the members of the Board.