Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1883-06-23
STOCKTON HIGH SCHOOL.
Graduating Exercises Last Evening OF the
Glass of 1ssS-lnteresting Address by
the State superintendent of Public In
structiCu.


Glass of 1888 -lntsresting Address by
the State Superintendent of Public In
structiCn.
STOCKTON, June 22i.-The commencement
exercises Of the High School of this city took
place this evening Of the Avon Theater.
There was large and brilliant attendance If
the leading citizens OF the place, and the &C.
casion was one Of more than ordinary interest.
A very able and highly interesting address was
delivered by Hon. w. Il. Welcker, SuLeria-
tendenJ Of Public Instruction, and the other
exercises were such as to merit the utmost
appreciation.
The programme was as follows Song. sour
Country we will ever Love " (Methfessel) by
the school; invocation song, The German
essay, We are the Heirs of Ages" Agnes
Steiny ; piano solo. Grand Waltz Ley-
bach), Hattie Black song. The Shepherds
Hymn Of Praise " (i<reuizer), by the school !;
Grafton, "Argonauts, Ancient and Modern"
C.. Willis Norton (; soprano solo, Happy as
Bird " (Pinsutl), Flora HARRISON double
quartet, Evening Song" (Kuhlan), by
members OF the graduating class; essay,
g TIE Real and the Idesl, Lucy Baldwin |;
song, Ye Shepherds, tell LIE" Mszzinghi),
by the school; Grafton, Individual Re-
diplomas, - DIR. S. p. Crawford
At the conclusion of awarding the di
plomas, and the singing of a class song, State
superintendent Welcker delivered tne ad
dress, the central thought Of which was the
era of peacs, and its attendant accum ulaiion
Of wealth which the State and the country
are likely TO erjoy for long time IN the
future, and The il tiuence of this wealth upon
society, of which they were soon to become
active aud responsible members. In consider
ing this subject, after pleasant Introduction
directed TO the graduates, the following are
the salient points OF the more general feat
ures of the address
There is every probability that prolonged
peace will prevail IN your Gay. Ana what will be
the effect OF that2 is it certain that it will be only
good cOntinuallyf We pray for peace; we naturally
desire it, and yet are we quite sure that peace has
always proved better for nations and people than
war. Whas constitutes the welfare of people Is
it the possession of an abundance Of riches a
people is an aggregation Of individuals; and 1t is
fair to suppose that the welfare Of the aggregation
viii be the aggregate welfare Of the individual
Let inquire, then, if the possession Of abund-
ance Of riches conduees to the happiness and tue
welfare OF individuals Short as has been your op-
portunity for observation, corf lent that a
little memory and little reflection viii make you
say " no p
Now prolonged peace in America, and above all
in California cannot fail to bring about the rapid
and almost indefinite acquisition Of wealth. | 90
not say that ID will be generally distributed. Were
that so, the wealth of individuals could not be eX-
cessive, and the attendant evils would not ensue.
But TIE accumulation must necessarily be enormous
when the whole time, talents and energies Of the
whole people, in such country this are given 10
its production. Question history to what has
been the fsct OF prolonged peace, that state Of
society whore the mass Of the p oPlc only
| remotely felt the eff-cts Of war, when
the wars were external and took place
on the frontiers. The Persians while rising
into power military people engaged in per
petual contests They were a hardy rice, brave
simple in their lives. clean and pure in their BOrals
fond of justice and rul OF lofty and generous sent
menss. When they had become great and
shadowing power, had overcome the Babylonian
Empire and taken possession Of the riches, they
sank into the Of luxury, and steadily degraded
in character. ri ally in the midst Of every hind Of
villany, they were numbering each other and per
petra ing unheard.of crimes and horrors
While the Greeks were yet poor ami engaged in
perpetual wars with their neghbors and among
themselves they developed their high characters
and laid the foundations of. and perfected their
claims TO- their imperishable fame, and to the adj
miraton Of all succeeding generations. When
under Alexander and his Successors they had con-
quersd the known world, they seized upon IN
bounded wealth aud, in its enga2 ement, speedily
sank into characters vile those Of any Of the
nations whom they hsd trOdden down and despOiled
From Romuus to julius Cesar, Rome was in a
perpetual state Of war, and during the greater
portion Of that time the people were free, poor,
virtugus and psssably happy
When Rome became the great couqIerors Of ma
TONS wnen the fires Of the strife we're no longer
visible from the Capitol and he shrieks and din VI
the conf ct longer reverberated along the shores
Of the Tiber, and the riches Of cespoiled world
were necessarily pouring into her Zap, she became,
amid shameful luxury, the concentration Of crime
and horror, snd afterwards fell into deserved
misery.
But it is not necessary 70 draw upon the store
house Of history for more instances OF this kind II
IL plethorc sith such, and IN fact it is pretty much
the same story with al the nations which
have played q distinguished part On the stage
amid poverty and simplicity q manners, struggles
against the forces Of nature, climate, Wild beasts
and wild N L. struggles OF endowed with nost
Of the virtues OF their time and condition courage
generosity aversion 70 restraint f0ndne55 for per-
sobal liberty, no 70 conquest snd wealth. Then
CONES sIoth, luxury, edsminacy, contempt Of the
z eat traits d mankind IS being vulgar or bsrhar-
Gus: skepticism as 70 whatever they know Of yell
gioa; un5ounded sell indulgence, ecHardice cru
| city, neanness, decay and national death.
When we ascend into the era o. Christian history
re observe the came principle at work, bat some
/ what modified. and that modification was the re-
suit Of the peeulisri,y Of the Christian religion
The civilization Of Christianity differs from an
ether valuations and diff rs caly IN those pa-tc1.
lars which the result Of the Chris.ian religion
AL other religions and hare been rituaistic or
mainly rsigons Of forms, or else debasine superst-
toes where the human mind hzs been subjected 70
an unsessonuZ, blind, fatzliste dependence On the
wills 81 the gOds-Wiils without concert and fire.
qnsntiy altzgnnstie - each other always cpfieious
| ard often mslsvoiens such religions could have
10 steady aud conserying influence upon the con-
duct Of men and nations. lhsy could do, and did,