Waterbury evening Democrat., 1891-04-14
CONFIRMING THE pIpL oMAs.
Graduating Exercises at the City Hall
 Last Night.

City hall was crowded last night by the relatives and friends of the gradu- ating class of the High school for 1891. The stage was decorated with flowers and palms behind which the class of fourteen sat and anxiously waited for the supreme moment. The class motto: "Knowing is well; doing is better" occupied prominent place.
 Professor M. $. Crosby presided over the exercises which opened with a trio, "Down in the Dewy Dell' by the Misses Baldwin, Charters and Sanford. The song was we'll rendered and merited the applause it received.
 Isabel Hendry Clark followed with the salutatory of the class, an honor which ranks next to the valedictory. Her words of welcome were rendered in choice language through which a vein of rich humOr was woven with pleasing effect.
 Katherine Theresa Bourke's essay on Scientific Education" was carefully prepared and well read. She argued that a thoroughly scientific course should be introduced into every school of the higher grades, as it would bring the mind into contact with many facts necessary to be known in all walks of life.
 Margaret Ellen Mitchell appealed to the patriotism of the audience in her essay upon the subject Waterbury Soldiers Monument" She gave an eX- haustive history of the monument. in original language and style, saying that ''it is grand tribute to the noble loyalty of the men who went forth to battle for their country s freedom and will ever re- mind us of the 900 husbands, fathers and sons that Waterbury sent forth out of her then population of 10000, and il will tell future generations of the pa triotism of Waterbury people,"
 Margaret Loretta Dunn followed with another patriotic essay, on "The High School Flag" which was we'll received. She expressed pleasure at being able to announce that the efforts of the alumni to obtain the funds necessary for the erection of staff and flag on the High school grounds had been crowned with success, and that soon the starry banner would be thrown to the breeze. Pupils coming within it's influence" said the speaker, ''are made purer and better. Long may it wave OCT the dear old school we love so we'll"
 Miss Clara Keeler and w. H. Davis, jr. then sang a duet, Beyond the Stars" receiving hearty encore.
 Edith Sellew chose for her subject "The Story of Our Public Schools" She told the story in an interesting manner, drawing clever comparisons between the old methods and the new. She felt justly proud of the pubic school system, while admitting that it had many de. fects that time would remove.
 'The Proposed Public Park" found a fair champion in Laura Belle Watrous. Her idea of park called for an area of one hundred acres, just outside the city. not beyond easy walking distance Such a park would educate and elevate the public taste and inspire in the people of Waterbury love for the beautiful in nature.
 The "Class History by Hattie Louise Toucey, was received with great applause as the puns upon the different members of the calss were read. The speaker referred feelingly to the death of two male members of the class within a year.
 Rose Theresa Mcdonald, in her essay upon ''Women as Wage Farmers" show ed that she was not in sympathy with what they call womenS rights. She claimed that in her eagerness to obtain employment woman has fallen below her aim. Men work not from taste, but from stern necessity, and women have not, like men, the spur of stern necessity to drive them on. Why do women work for less than men? The real reason is that girls who take up the better vacations are generally of families in
 
 rule, they are only waiting for that future time when they can have homes of their own. The proportion of women in this country without homes of their own is vastly increasing. By lowering the price of wages woman is dragging men down to her level aud doing a great injury to the race.
 ''The Fishers Song" by Misses Bald- win, Charters and Sanford was then in call forth an encore.
 Etta Young appeared as a champion of ''Clubs," which she claimed were for the elevation of the mind and therefore should prosper.
 Clara Haines Boyd took for her sub- jebt "Eccentric Persons," and allowed that men in professional life were most apt to be eccentric, but that women overbalanced their brothers in doing eccentric actions.
 The "Class Prophecy" by Emmett Trenton Corr, the only male member of the class, was composition of consider. able merit, humorous but expressive He likened himself to a solitary sun flower surrounded by twelve rosebuds and expressed his inability to explain how he tiourished in such a garden. At the conclusion of his address he was presented with a floral horseshoe by his little cousin, Margery Corr.
 Isabel Hendry Clark spoke of "The Girl of the Past and the Present." taking a position almost diametrically opposed to that of Miss Mcdonald. When we contrast the life of the woman of the past with that of the woman of the present." she said, "we see that she has not lost but gained everything in the changing of time.
 The Glass Poem," by Annette Caece- lia Stanislaus Ellis came next. Wit. humor and sadness were woven into ex- pressions which flowed from the lips of the fair poeteSs with grace and feeling.
 Egyptian Architecture" by Mary Louise Fitzsimons, was the last but not the least interesting of the essays. She gave a very accurate description of the | famous pyramids, sphinx and obelisks of Egypt.
 The vaIedictory was then delivered by