Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1893-06-23
NORTH STREET SCHOOL
The Commencement Exercises
which Were Held sunday, Monday and
Tuesday.

Nhleh Were Held Sunday, Monday aud
Tuesday.
An audience which crowded the ITnita-
ran church, while many went away unable
to gain admission, gathered Sunday even
ing to hear Rev. A. r. Merriam's sermon
before the graduating class of Miss Saw
yer's North street school. The decorations
of maidenhair and daisies presented a
charming effect, while they also embodied
the class colors. Rev. Mr.. Day offered
prayer, Mr.. Howe presided at the organ
and Mr.. Miller led the singing The text
of Mr.. Merriam's sermon was from III
Kings II, 8: "And Elisha said, l pray
thee let double portion of thy spirit be
upon me-" The incident chosen, and eff
fectively used, to furnish the theme of the
discourse was that when the prophet Eli
iah threw his mantle over the shoulders of
the young Elisha, while the latter was
blowing in his fathers fields, and he left
his house and kindred to dwell with the
prophet and be taught by him; and when
the time that Elijah was to be caught up
into the heaven, and the prophet said,
ASK what | shall do for thee" Elisha's
! spontaneous answer was the words of the
text, 81 pray thee let a double portion of
thy spirit be upon me-"
The blended careers of Elijah and Elisha
were traced to show how this ancient pu-
pill in the school of the prophets gradually
| grew in his apprehension of spiritual pow
! er, through obedience to a call to duty,
through contact with his ideal master and
! teacher, and through a developed spiritual
! vision, which enabled him to stand alone
after his teacher had been taken from him.
| His steadfastness of spiritual purpose had
| stood the discouragements and trials to
which he had been subjected and his crav-
| ing for double portion of Elijah's spirit
ual power was but the outgrowth of his
early choice and his answering pursuit and
spiritual aim.
All meu are not called to be prophets,
but all are called to be spiritual powers
Any mission, wherever spent, depends for
its real power upon the spiritual forces we
use. Spiritual power, in its largest, broad
est sense, is the only real abiding force
What we get from study is the power to
study-a spiritual force. What we get
from business is not merely money, but
power over men and for men. What we
get from history is not so much facts as
spiritual lessons of character. What we
get from biography is not bare knowledge
of men, but inspiration-a spiritual power.
Life is not meat--it is the vestibule of the
sentiments, irrepressiblc. unseen, without
money value, which sway men. like patri-
otism, home, love-they are all spiritual
forces-in the largest sense of the word.
In his concluding remarks to the young
men women of the class the preacher
urged upon them the great fundamental
truths that all spiritual power is from God
and that only as they kept close to the
Great Teacher and Master and learned OF
him day by day, as the young Elisha kept
close to the great prophet, could they be
sure of real power and influence. If yor
so walk with sincerity and faith it shall
come that you shall see, as Elisha saw, him
who rides in the chariot, and shall find hin
near when you go out to do battle with the
realities of life and death.
Glass Day.
Monday was class day and 200 invited
guests gathered at the school building, !
North street at ) in the afternoon. TIL,
east piazza, where the exercises took place
was Il bower of green, as if some wood
land nook had been brought from its nat
ural place and set down here. The back
, ground was a mass of evergreen branches
upon which was tastefully arranged il
white daises the class motto, "Persever
ance wins success The pillars of tn
, piazza were hidden under laurel blossom
2 and the rail by evergreen. Potted fem
5 were arranged below and in front of tn
piazza and in one corner a bank of fern
? reached the ceiling, In front of this wa
a table on which were placed the flowers
which, in great beauty and profusion, wer
e presented to the graduates. a very beau
l tiful set piece of flowers was presented I
: Miss Sawyer by the graduating class.
e Much credit is due, for her faithful work
to Miss Ethel Brown, who has drilled tn
4. class in reading and in physical culture.
a A pleasant feature of the exercises wa
e the presentation of prizes to the hotan
\ and literature classes. The lteratur
!, prize was won by Miss Bessie Braley, an
4 the two botany prizes by Arthur Laughto
for descriptions and by Miss Florenc
h Lamson for herbarium. In the botan
= class so much excellence was found b
4 Mrs. Warder and Miss Howe, the con
j mittee, that each member was given
S souvenir, in recognition If their fathfl
e work.
e The exercises were opened with an address ,
welcome by Clayton n. Hackley. He spoke ,
c the deeper and tenderer meaning of anniversar'
:, when they are kept with our friends, and of the
!. intense seriousness when we weigh the pa
II against the future, and measure each by the pre-
n ent; of the honored place of commencement
IS years of faithful labor. This day, he said, So
l. called class day, and because this is our class da
n and you are our friends We ask you to listen
70 our simple exercises -
g Abbe A. Pratt's recitation, June" was vel
o effectively rendered, and following it Misses
nor Thomas and Bruce sang Summer Fancies
The class Grafton. Perseverance wins success
by Charles + Newell. possessed unusual mer
ct He realized the possibilities of the future well
- its trials that the students to be cOnfront
= by success or failure. All of the performances
human labor at which we look are only instanc
has a thousand voices teaching lessons OF peIs
verance. When reflect on the wonderful
H. suits accomplished we are led to believe that 4
n most anything. In closing the speaker turned
m leaving school and each other He urged them
e. who labor well who win. Let MS work then, n
rs for fame and appreciation of men, but for the u
lie building of character; then with Christ as o
r, and at last perseverance Will win success
N, To Louis A. whitney was assigned the histo
of the class of '93. In opening he made recog
ton Of the proper sty which people have
incorporating, following vacations with viii
their character is not in keeping. Like the Y
torian age Of literature he said. "our age h
been one of peace, and peaceful epuchs are 4
favorable to history" Nevertheless he noted {
st and recorded the fact that the average age of
IT. | graduates was IS years and II months, He Tn
y. ! briefly recorded the place OF residence of ca
a.. g