River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1886-06-24
Normal School Commencement.

standing IN the minds or citizens.
The Alumni Association held a
meeting on Wednesday evening, at
tended by representatives from Clark,
St. Croix, Buffalo and Pierce counties,
and from Minnesota, and effected an
organization and laid plans for extern
sive literary work hereafter which
will undoubtedly contribute to the
progress of the school as well as to the
alumni.
The quartet showed want of skill
in siuh ing annie Laurie" and some
body made mistake in selecting so
familiar song for SO bad rendering.
Thursday morning the Model school
children gave their friends pleasant
representation of the habits of birds
and the characters of flowers, and the
innocent speech and song of the chill
dren left very pleasant impression of
the profitable work done during the
year by model teachers Hatherell,
Darnall and Parker.
The delivery of books, closing of
examinations and decoration of the
building went forward Thursday after
noon and IN the evening one of the
densest crowds of people that has ever
convened at Commandments was
assembled in the chapel. Every
available seat was filled and adjacent
corridors were blocked.
The Senior and Elementary classes
moved on the platform and were
seated with the president of the fac.
ulty and the chaplin, followed to
reserved seats by the faculty and resi-.
dent regent at a little past eight
| o'clock.
The instrumental voluntary by Miss
Hattie Bevans and Messrs. Romdenne
introduced the evening exercises, fol.
lowed by prayer by Rev. J. Evans
of this city. An excellent chorus en-
titled "In Mercy Remember" was
given with delicacy and pathos by the
| school.
d. E. Cameron of this city cast the
first Grafton entitled Federation, and
after recounting the history of civil
and religious prosecutions he summed
up the duty of men in the language of
christianity, that sail things whatso-
ever We would others should do to
you do ye even SO to them" Mr..
Cameron's manner was assuring with
exception of the utterance of single
period; his gestures were well timed
if not graceful in themselves: his tone
was not smooth nor was the pitch of
his voice quite comfortable to the ear.
But the introduction of series of
exercises under strange circumstances
always subjects the speaker to criti-
cism and Mr.. Cameron had this obsta-
Gle added to the Unreasonable diff
culties lying in the perpetual echoes
of the chapel.
Miss Eleanor APP Roberts of this
city read, or better recited with manu-.
script gracefully in Land, an essay
entitled 1.-THE Mind Never Sleeps,
in which she proved the startling
assertion of her theme by abundant
evidence pleasantly arranged and
clearly delivered. Her enunciation
was distinct and her manner showed
preparation in every particular, not
the least of which was the manifest
fact that she had written and dis
coursed upon subject that had grown
by natural accretion of conviction.
Miss Mary Foster of this city was
excused on account of ill-health from
reading her essay, shakespeare as a
Teacher" but we are informed that
the paper is well worthy of the young
lady whose scholarship record dGring
the course has been excellent in all
that makes valuable tne time and
energy of school.
The Grafton of f1r. o. G. Libby of
New Richmond, entitled "From Facts
to Principles" exlited talent, breadth
of thought and study of methods to
convince others, far beyond the aver
age. The speaker summoned history
as well as daily familiar examples OF
the evolution of doctrine from facts
he clothed illustrations in lucid speech
that won the strictest attention, and
he wrought into each oral expression
what was entirely free from pedantry,
great force and dignity inspired by a
large subject, and his graceful gestures
were we'll timed and few in number.
We learn that Mr.. Libby has done
much work in addition to that of the
course by parallel study and investiga.
ton.
The chorus Show Merrily we Live"
was cast with taste and power, and
was followed by the delivery of the
certificates to the Elementary class,
consisting of Frona A. Cashier of
Clark county; Rosa NJ. Cheney, NJ. l..
Collins, Mary A. Downer, Cora l..
Ma good and Eda U. Maxgood of
Pierce; Edith A. Folsom of Polk; w.
S. Freeman of Monroe; Joseph Free
hoff of La Crosse; o. G. billiard and
Florence Simpkins of Pepin; and Mary
G. Strahl and II. =. Waldron of St.
Croix,-and the Diplomas to the
Seniors with fitting remarks.
The stage of the chapel was taste
fully decorated with evergreens
wrought into form of a pavilion,
with ferns, evergreens and few
flowers in front and festooned in the
rear. On the wall at the left and
right were notices of rich white
clover blossoms in relief, in Old
English, upon evergreen backing
the legend of the Seniors running
Plough Deep" hung upon the left
and the Elementary class felicitated
itself with the doctrine of "Blessed he
Drudgery." We hope the young peo-
pie will be able to verify hereafter as
they certainly have in school, their
allegiance to these sentiments.