Omaha daily bee., 1893-06-23
DIPLOMAS WELL DESERVED
Sixty Three Rewards Of Merit Presented to
High School Graduates.
COMMENCEMENT EXERCISES AT BoYD's
suooess Occupied the Board'-Music and
Poetry Linked Arms with Literature
Flowers that Bloom in June, Ira
La-Program In Detail.

There were howers in profusion, while
music lent its charms to the occasion.
Commencement exercises of the Omaha
High school have always been features of
the educational life of this city. Each class
that has gone out from its alma mater has
been heralded as "the highest and best body
of boys and girls ever graduated" But
surely no class could be superior TO the
sixty-three young men and women who were
presented with diplomas last evening by the
vice president of the Board of Education.
The "sweet girl graduate" of last evening
was vision of tulle, roses, loveliness and
hope.
After the march of the graduates to their
places on the stage to the music OF the or
chestra and the entrance of the representa-
tives of the schools of the city, Prof Homer
Lewis, Superintendent Frank Fitzpatrick
Henry 9. Akin, esq, acting president of the
school board, and DIR. Joseph Il. Duryea, the
| exercises of the evening were commenced
by Fred Van Horn, whose Grafton, "The
Touch of Button" was thoroughly well
| considered.
Edison Did the Rest.
| Commencing with a recital of President
| Cleveland's opening of the Columbian exposi-
ton by touching button, he traced the
! evolution of electricity and the manifold uses
to which it is put in these latter century
| days.
when Ben Franklin for an afternoons
| amusement" said the young orator, "hitched
the lightning to the tail of his kite he little
| thought that he had captured sprite more
| potent than Ariel and that through this APP
| parently most intractable of the elements
| would be wrought deeds before which the
magic of Merlin would pale and seem COM
| mon place"
I'VE seem determined that mental pro-
| cesses shall keep pace with mechanical con-
| trivances, and great results with little ex-
| ertion seem to be the universal aim. This
| state of affairs causes many people to take
| very pessimistic view of things generally
and to declare that men are losing strength
mentally and physically; that it is only
| question of time when, because of the little
need we have of using them both our brain
| and muscle will entirely disappear, as did
| the tails with which Darwin credited our
| ancestors. We are willing to recognize as
| benefactor the man who makes two blades
| of grass grow where only one grew before,
| but we hail as a god the man who enables
| us to do in one minute what before took two
to accomplish And why note Who saves
| time saves life, for time is the stuff that
| life is made Of"
Misses Hittle De Graft and Nellie French
played with delightful technique Beetho-
ven's Sonata Pathetique op l3' FOR four
hands. The young ladies were not fiurried
| and the selection showed that notwith-
standing the young women had their hands
| full of the 'ologies'' and ''isms" they still
had time enough to look after their music.
Pen Picture of a Society Man.
"The Modern Society Man" was the felici-
tous title of Miss Louise Mathewson's essay,
and the scoring that hot house flower re-
| ceived from this young woman was thor
oughly enjoyed by the representative audi
ence that filled the opera house from pit to
| gallery. Delivered in a dignitied well ar
ticulated manner, it was positive hit not
withstanding the picture was somewhat dis
torted.
mo one would fancy for moment that
the society man of today sprang like Minerva
from the head of Jupiter" was Miss
Mathewson's opening thought. 'The birth
OF the society man as we know him, occurred
years after the Liberty bell had swung and
rung. be did not spend his babyhood In
antique rockers and crawl through infancy
on bare floors" Picturing a scene at a
crush, she thus painted the hero of her
essay: He swayed her white plumed fan
and she toyed with the chrysanthemum
odorless, but stylish. But he broke the
thread OF romance which my fancy had
dared to weave by saying: 'Beastly hot,
isn't it' Didn't see you at the AS last night
Dull, but the feed was immense Then the
strain of an opening dance stole forth and
the society man said: May l have this
waltz9' The broadcloth arm then went
around the brocade waist"
Otis G. Whipple, manly young fellow
with an excellent voice, acclaimed The I'm
known Speaker" a wonderfully clever story
of the signing of the Declaration of Inde-
pendence.
The pleasing feature of the evening was
the selection that came next a violin duet,
"Andante Cantabile," by Mr.. Bert Butler a
member of the graduating class, and Miss
Firth G. Schwartz, with Mr.. Frank Riley as
accompanist.
| Castles of Ether eal Build.
Miss Marion H. Schibsby built for her
friends a series of "Castles in Spainn that
quite won the fancy of the audience She
prefaced her essay with the thought that
her castles were not like the Alhambra or
some of the ruined homes of gone kings but
her caQtlnS ~ buiit ~ ayi
and heecy clouds.
Harrison Oury, president of the class
which has for its motto ''Semper Agite, ~
followed, after an orchestral number, with
an Grafton entitled, "Does it Pay9" a most
creditable! effort on the part of the young
orator. In the course of his oratlon Mr..
Oury said: ''The Americans are pre-emi-
nently commercial people; they are pos
material progress. They do not stop with
material things. They place the dollar
mark on mind and matter alike and seem to
think that the only road to success and hap
piness is the road to wealth. Visit the high
schools of the country; you will find the
graduating classes composed mainly of girls
There is but one explanation for this, the
} boys nave left school to engage in some com
mercial pursuit ich brings them the vas,
sum of $40 per month and in return leave
| them intellectual dwarfs.
The social problem like the mythical Bri
areus lifts its hundred hands with threaten
| ing dSpeCI ulSSenSlOnSi anu tn(
insidious power of money assail the state
Financial hereses threaten to undermine
the foundation of credit; the result of 1
! prize fight is waited for with breathless ex
pectation by thirty millions of people"
Miss Ada M. Stone recited Longfellow'
liking Robert Of Sicily" most artistically
Miss Eloise Clark, who is possessed of a
sweet soprano voice, sang with charming
, effect Nevin's bright composition, son,
Spring Morning" and a madrigal by Cham
| male.
Advertising rs an Art.
"A Modern Art" was the subject of Mis-
Georgia Lindsey's essay, which she ,definet
l as the ''art of advertising" In many re
spects this was the paper of the evening
and received close attention from the audi
ence. IL was conscientious in treatment anC
, what is most CALLING painted in true colors
"As early as Dryden's day authors dareC
. TO dabble in merchandise would that the,
had been as early confounded-but now FOL
, the first time in the history of human events
merchants are turning their hand at letters
Not content with the pencil, they hay,
taken up the brush, SO that advertising il
: properly a very witches broth of letters
: arts and sciences The advertiser him
self deties classification. He neither claims
nor desires the title Of author or journalist
! vet, strange to saw furnishes n larpi