Smyrna times., 1889-07-03

The Smyrna School Commencement.
The fifth annual graduating exercises
of the Smyrna Public Schools occurred
on the evening of our last publication
day. The Opera House was filled /
with large audience and the occasion
one ofinterest as it always is. 1t is
hardly necessary for US to go into an
elaborate delineation of the evening at |
this date, contenting ourselves with a |
brief statement of the most notice
able features. When the curtain rose |
at eight O'Clock it revealed on the !
neatly trimmed stage the Board of
Education, the graduating class and
the invited participants. John III.
Hoffecker, chairman pro tenn of the
Board, (COl. Raymond, the chairman,
being on a tour in the far West) after a
few Introductory words of welcome, in
troduced Rev. Il. K. Stephenson to
make the opening prayer. This was
followed by q chorus, "Tis MOrn,"
which was finely rendered by double
quartette composed of Mrs. A. Lee
Cummins, Mrs. Walter o. Hofiecker,
Miss Laura Bell, Miss Mai Farrell, and
Messrs. J. Ed. Hoffecker, l.. NJ. Price,
Wallace Wood and Walter o. HOf-
fecker.
v. Smith, Jr., the salutatorian,
had for his subject "Untempered Nor
tar" which was delivered with an un-
usually clear voice and was not marred
as is sometimes the case, by stage en-
barassment The speaker in illustrat-
ing his subject took a wide sweep of
the current literature of the day.
Marguerite" tenor solo by L. M.
Price, was finely rendered. Miss Sallie
d. Pratt, who represented the highest
honor of the class in the valedictory,
was the only other one Of the class
who had any part in the exercises.
Her subject was, 1.-THE Web of Life is
of Mingled Threads" She treated her
subject thoughtfully, the threads as
they were taken up day by day and
mingled into the complex threads that
goes to make up the warp and wOof of
life. The narrated incidents in the
life of Benjamin Franklin made an apt
and striking illustration of her subject.
The threads of joy of the school days
and the threads of sorrow at this sepa-
ration, were happily alluded to in the
/
W. G. Lake, Esq, of New Jersey, then
stepped forward as the principal of the
schools to. present the certificates oil
graduation. He made the usual re-
marks adapted to such occasions, ad
dressing each sex of the class how tC
be good, wise, nOble-the right kind oil
men and wOmen-On which the world
always sets a premium. He touched
appropriately on the young men who
part their hair in the middle, wear eve
glasses, and whose highest accomplish
ment is the latest step in the fashion
able dance. He summed up to th,
young ladies a similar list of virtues t
be emulated and follies to be avoided
advising them among other things no
to be "ninnies." The advice Nigh
have found a proper lodgementIdid no
the set designated as 'niunies" know
! that that is a feature which make
! them popular and their COMPANY
! sought after by certain class Of men
Certificates were then presented t
2 Sallie D. Pratt, ]. V. Smith, Jr., Lidi
b, r. Lord, Frank B. Cameron, Sallit
> Cosgriff and Carrie NJ. Lassell.
;, A handsomely bound volume o
2 Barnes History of the United States
' was presented to Miss Sallie D. Prat
a in accordance with Col. Raymond
e annual practice to the valedictOrian.
e "a Night in Venice" a duett b
Y Mrs. A. Lee Cummins and J. Ed. Ho
t feCker, was a difficult composition an
t most charmingly rendered. Th
/ brought them to the chief literary feat
p ure of the evening, the address of Rev
L. E. Barrett, of Wilmington. Hi
Q topic was, THE Relation of the Publ
!, School to the Individual aad th
y State" We will not attempt a synoJ
r. sis of the address, as it has alread
js been published in our contemporar,
/ but we will remark that the Rev. ger
l. tleman for over a half hour held IL
e closest attention of his audience in a
extempore address of more than usu,
f. clearness, force and directness.
Al Good Night Beloved" was anoth
& double quartette which from its broke
II music could only be effectively ren
" dered by skilled vOcalists, was sung
4 a manner to leave the audience to di
n perse as the curtain fell, with the mo-
of pleasant emotions.
10 As before said, the evening taken
,d a whole was a varied and a pleasa
,s one, We heard some criticism on t
* management whereby only two of t.
h graduates were called before the foe
re- lights, the others remaining in tn,
a. seats as figure heads all the evenin
no The point taken was the undue leng
10 of time the two speakers were allott
~ to fill, while a proper time and O
1g that would be more appreciated BY Il
ne audience-fve or six minutes to t
e. regular run of graduates and eight
d. the valedictorian, would have been c
Az compassed in about the same time, gi
he ing greater variety and enlisting
To larger interest. The machine gra
IN ing of averages is not always an u
Mt failing record of the pupils devotion
of studies or ability to master them. I
ng necessity of absence from dOmes
nd causes, a week or two's sickness, t
oe cares of home that curtail the hours
II. study, whether reckoned or not, I
20 often prevent many a pupil fir
S. reaching the goal for which they
,es vainly striving.