The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1894-06-22

| OF great and comprehensive reforms.
These must be attained by something
higher than common interest, strong as
that motive may ne. We are to look TO
the higher law, the law of Christ Let
us each make some contribution, how
ever humble it may be, toward the adj
vancement and periecting OF the race.
Ring out old shapes OF foul disease,
Ring out the narrowing lust of gold
Ring out the thousand wars of old
hing in the thousand years of peace.
Ring in the valiant men and free,
The earger heart and kindlier hand
! Ring out the darkness OF the land,
King in the Christ that is TO BE-.
Miss Edith Eldredge, the vale
dictorian of the class, was the last
speaker. Her subject was
THE SPHINX.
1t is q clear night, the stars shine
brightly, the desert sand CLEANS white
in their light, the level plain loses itself
in shadOwy darkness and silence. In
the centre looms the head of mighty
sphinx Beside it kneels a man, aged
the monster Such is the picture of the
artist 1t has a strange story to reveal.
1t has seen the time before history began,
it has seen Egypt slowly merge into its
civilization. King have risen and fallen
before it. 1t Witnessed the decline Of the
Kingdom, and the tragedy of Cleopatra,
but now it lives among its emcries
alone
When we take our stand beside the
syhinx, and gaze across the desert, we see
Egypt as it is, but thoughts come crowd
ing about Egypt as it was. Now, Egypt
has fallen. 1t has lost its strength and
nobleness, and others, better and Drawer
have come n take their place.
Now for the present. 1t is difficult for
us to look with calm, dispassionate eyes
upon our era and tell whittier we are 60
ing in this hesdlong rush. Great social,
political and religious problems are
working, and before our eyes. There is
the great onward sweep of the national
world with its mighty questions of gov
eminent, international trade, labor and
capital. We are plainly looking forward
to an era CT material and scientific Won
ders. We are slowly coming TO a future
OF intellectual greatness. We should
look forward to a bright future; il we
have no hopes, We shall realize none.
Thus we listen before our sphinx. All
his DRY, past and present, imagination,
hope, combine and answer. We see what
is TO come next, but what is IN come in
the end, we cannot iathom Is our fate
to be the same story, industry, wealth,
corruption and decay? Many think so.
Eut what of that, is it not progress? Does
any one say we are not farther advanced
to ay than ancient ROME in the days OF
her greatest glory? Shall we grudge to
the cviilation OF the future its glory,
because it is built, it may be. upon our
| downfall? No. Let the sphinx looking
back upon our past be able to say that
We have forged bright and enduring
link in the chain of progress, that our
| labor has not been in vain, that things
worthy have remained, and truth and
duty have conquered the ages,
When Miss Eldredge had finish,
ed her grafton, she delivered the
valedictory address to her former
s,hoo,-r. The Glee Club sang
again, and then Professor Hosmer,
in short speech, presented the
members of the outgoing class with
their diplomas and gave them
some good advise as to their future,
Rev. DR.. Coyle pronounced the be-
nediction, the band played again,
and the class of '94 was thing of
the past.
All of the orations showed care
full and earnest preparation, and
were given in a way that bespoke
a liberal amount of training on the
part of the speakers. Each grad
yates received a number of bou-
quets of flowers, and the platform
looked like garden of roses when
the prOOrap1 mo bod ap1a1