The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1891-06-06
Closing Exercises and Corner Stone Laying.

Closing Exercises and Corner Stone Laying.
The Primary Department of Western Mary.
land College closed its fifth year on Friday,
May 10Th. The occasion was celebrated by
an appropriate and entertaining exhibition
held in Smith Hall Auditorium at 4 D. m.
SO interested were the parents and friends of
the little ones that the room was as well filled
as for entertainments of more pretensions.
and the readings, recitatons and dialogues
which made up the program were surpris-
ingly well rendered. Each child carried out
its appointed part without blunder and almost
without fanlt, making the heart of papas and
mamas to thrill with very UNSUITABLE pride
| The program was about as follows Prayer,
President Lewis: roll call, Eltinge Reifsnider,
secretary; welcome, Irene Woodward, Carrie
| Gehr, Helen Grouse; Presidents Address,
jamie Woodward; chorus, college song; The
Lost Knife, Helen Gorsueh, Helen Grouse,
! Cora Schaeffer, Katie Thomas; recitation,
| Every Funny Dora Bale; recitation, Louise
Reitsnider, May Geiman; ealisthenics, Swe-
dish movements; reading, DON'T Katie
! Thomas; dialogue, playing Truant,'' Norma
Gilbert, Denton Gehr, Helen Gorsuch; vocal
solo, Homeless and Friendless,n Carrie
Gehr; ''Cold Water Willie Simpson, Hubert
| Lewis, Edgar Slagle; dialogue, Counting
Chickens Before They are Hatched," Den
ton Gehr, Hubert Lewis, Eltinge Reifsnider;
''The Dead Doll.'' Mayfeld Wright; doll
drill and song; farewell song, "Gaily, Gaily
Home We Co.
Just before the closing song Miss Lottie
0wings, the efficient principal of the school,
read the grades Of each pupil for the year,
and assured the audience that though the
marks seemed so high, they were not given
out OF regard for tender years, but represented
good and satisfactory work. Helen Gorsuch,
daughter Of Chas G. Gorsuch, lead the school
with grade of 9.75, and Carrie Gehr, daugh
ter = Geo. Il. Gehr, came next to her with
grade of 9.G7. Denton Gehr was especially
commended for punctuality, having attended
schoo! every day in the year. often at the sac
riice of such boyish delights as day in Bal
timore or at the circus. These closing eXer
cises are really Commencement, for those
who pass out of the school into the Prepare
tory Department of the College receive
very neat little diploma, duly signed and
sealed, which means rs much to the little
folks rs the larger sheepskins will in after
years. After the song the entire audience,
headed by the students of the Primary Depart
ment and Faculty, proceeded to the tounda-
lions of the new hall that is about to be erected
for the special accommodation of this depart
ment. Prof. Reese, who has taken part III
every cornerstone laying at the College, read
a selection from the Psalms, and Rev. Dr.
Ward followed with prayer. President Lewis
then briefly sketched the i've years history of
the school, showing how it arose out of the
need there seemed to be in Westminster for
some good school for small children, from 5
to u years, and how the College was able to
supply this need without deprecating the
standing of the College To Mrs. L. o.
Grimes and Mrs DR.. Lewis he attributed the
inception and large measure Of the success
of the enterprise, and he then announced that
the money for the building about to be erected
was the gift of DR.. and Mrs. Charles Billings
lea, and was intended as a memorial to their
son, James Levine, who died just a year ago.
He was one of the schools brightest and
most promising pupils. His classmate, Mas
ter Hubert Lewis, then formally laid the
stone and named the building Levine Hall.