St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1890-06-26
ACADEMY COMMENCEMENT.
Graduating Exercises.

| Music hall was filled to overflow
ing Friday morning when a class o
% ladies and 35 young gentlemen
were graduated. The stage wa:
prettily decorated with flowers ano
evergreen, while upon the left, on al
easel of evergreen rested the clas:
motto, 'Sic itur ad astra," the let
ters of which were of white flower:
woven in an evergreen background
Music was furnished by the st
Johnsbury orchestra.
The teachers and trustees of the
institution were seated upon tn.
platform. There were Is parts or
the program and all were well pre-
pared and delivered. After prayer
by Rev. Henry Fairbanks, the Latir
salutatory was given by Charles w
Closson of ST. Johnsbury. Italluded
to the class of 90, their pleasant re
lations, and the parting hours.
This was followed by the honorary
essay by Charlotte Fairbanks of this
place. Her subject was "The univer
sal language" and. her article
showed deep study and close obser
vation.
Frank A. Balch of Richmond came
next with an ora ton on "Concentra-
ton" He said that as a stream re
ceives its strength from the countless
rivulets which join it, so man, by
beginning young and concentrating
all his energies, will become deep and
reSiStleSS as a river.
| Lizzie NJ Harris of Summerville
read an essay entitled 1.-The ancestry
of American liberty" tracing the
struggle for liberty from far back in
the pagan centuries down to the
declaration of our own indepen-
dence.
Quincy Blakely, jr., of MARI
boro, N. H., then gave an in
teresting account of the "Growth
of Republicanism" from the earliest
age of civilization down to the pres
ent, with the image of liberty hold
aloft the torch of freedom enlighten-
ing the world.
mature as an Artist" was the sub
ject of a carefully prepared essay by
Emma D. Morse of st. Johnsbury.
She said that not utility alone, but
beauty to feed the hungry soul OF
man, is sought in natures work.
William Gibbon of Vicksburg,
Miss, came next with an oration on
Educational needs of the blind -
He said that there were $4,000 blind
people in our country, of whom only
5000 were in school. He urged that
needed legislation be made, so that
blind students might receive an edu-
cation inferior in no respect to the
curriculum of our highest institutions
of learning.
This was followed by an essay on
"Child Labor" by Isabel M Pad
dock of this village, who drew a vivid
picture of the degradation and the
pitiable condition of the multitudes
of little children, who work in our
factories and coal mines, and grow
old before their time.
Edwin o. Grover of st. Johnsbury
Yesterday, today, and forever" full
of good advice
eff walls could speak," was the
subject of very cleverly written es-
say by Mary P. Putney of St. Johns
bury. If walls, if ruins of ancient
cities, or if the hieroglyphics over
which educated men have studied so
long could speak, what revelations
would be unfolded to us.
This was followed by an Grafton
entitled Sic itur ad astra," "such is
the road to fame" by Charles E. Lee
of this place. In a brief outline of
the lives of several noted men, he
showed that they had from boyhood
been fired by purpose or desire to
become great and that their lives
were what they made them.
Mary F. Wilcox. of Post Mills came
next with an essay on Causes in art.
The essayist said that the soft Helle-
mic sky of Greece, the clear atmos-
phere and mild climate, not only in
spired in the soul a love of beauty,
but produced the accurate and well
defined outlines of the beautiful and
lifelike Grecian sculpture.
"An old theory" was the subject
of an interesting Grafton by Walter
H. Merrill of St. .Johnsbury. This
theory was the one that caused the
fall of alchemy, and is this: Mature
is in appearance an illegible scrawl,
but when deciphered there will be
found single force to separate and
reunite, to produce decay and
growth" However much this has
been disputed, each day is advancing
evidence which is changing this fancy
to a reality.
Next came the class essay by Carrie
Braley of this place. Her subject
was "After the storm and her arti-
Gle was vivid picture Of wreck on
a rocky coast A little girl lashed to
the topmast alone was saved. A
traveller, weary and troubled in
mind. gazing out upon the troubled
oconrn gees the nnnr child nrnd