Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1889-06-15
fCoNTRIBUTED.l



For several weeks past the Commence
ment Exercises of the Martinsburg High
School, in charge of Prof. J. A. Cox,
have been looked forward to with many
hopeful anticipations, not only by the
graduates and their relatives and inn
mediate friends, but by the general pub
lie of Martinsburg and its environs, as
we'll; therefore it may be imagined that
when Friday evening, june 18th, came,
the effort to be present at the Central
Opera House was almost universal in the
staid old town seated upon its lime
stone hills. Nature seemed propitious,
as she wore throughout the day one of
her most gladstone smiles. The sky
flung out her bluest banners and Old Sol
looked down with his Cyclopian eye, and
cast his cheering warmth and glittering
rays of gold around and about the hap
ply homes and busy marts of trade nestled
away, it is to be hoped, from such dire
disasters as befell of late the unfortunate
Pennsylvania town, whose sad fate not
only nation nourns, but the very con-
fines of civilization seem to throb at the
awful catastrophe.
At an early hour groups of citizens be-
gan vending their way to and congregat-
ing in front of the hall. and when the
doors were opened hundreds swarmed
into the spacious building until every
seat allotted to the public was occupied.
and many more standing. Crowds of
ladies and gentlemen, laden with floral
offerings for the fair graduates, with
difficulty made their way to the front,
but all was good nature and courtesy.
Coming and still coming were the flow
ers, until the large platform appropriat-
ed to the purpose was piled in great
heaps with bouquets and other floral de-
signs. Probably over two thousand per-
sons were within the hall when the ap-
proach of Prof. Cox and his senior and
junior classes were announced. Enter
ing, with the Principal at their head, the
procession of sweet-faced young ladies
and manly youths proceeded to the stage
with measured steps, to an accompani-
ment performed upon the piano by Miss
Housworth, former graduate of this
school. Then came the Board of Edu-
cation, q namber of ministers of the
Gospel, and other gentlemen, including
Senator Charles J. Faulkner, Mayor
Lambert. Sheriff Miller and Mr.. Friend
Cox, of Wellsburg, W. Va, all of whom
took places upon the stage.
At this moment the scene presented
was one of the most inspiring and beau
tiful the writer has ever witnessed, and
is credit, not only to Prof. Cox, whose
untiring endeavors and whose taste and
skill arranged the whole affair and
brought it to such splendid consumma-
ton, but an honor to the citizens of Mar
tinsburg who so nobly seconded the able
Principal in his work, and who empha-
sized by their presence their endorse
ment of the methods of, and their conf
dence in, that worthy gentleman. A
sea of up-turned beautiful faces greeted
those upon the platform, and rock-built
old Martinsburg gave evidence from the
lovely creatures to be seen on all sides
that she, indeed, has foundation for her
claim that she is not only the Queen
City of the Valley" but the habitat, par
excellence, of beauty, grace and lovli
ness The array of gaily and stylishly
dressed ladies almost put to blush the
magnificent display of floral gems piled
up and strewn around with an abun-
dance and prodigality that would have
set the girls of the larger cities wild to
have seen them-the poor things who
scarcely know what a fresh, genuine
flower really means. And then the gen.
tlemen-well; they're all handsome of
course, or at least they think they are.
The exercises were opened by Rev.
Mr.. Ridenour, who offered an impress
sive prayer, after which the class-song
eighty Nine" was given in splendid
o1o