Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1894-05-24
HIGH SCHOOL EXERCISES.

of '94. Great Bend high school, took
place at the Grand opera house on
Wednesday evening, the 18th, and each
and every one of the graduates deported
themselves well and won the admi-
ration Of large audience of Great Bend
citizens who feel just pride in the
high grade of our public schools and
the graduates the high school has
turned out from year to year.
RENO THATCHER was the first on
the program. His subject, THE Amer
can Idea,' was we'll chosen, and the
young man showed his proper interpre-
tation of ''the American idea". He
showed that education" was the pre-
dominant American idea; free schools,
free thought, free action and free
range of political, educational. and re-
| lIgious thought and deed. He traced
the development Of American education
from the days of the Puritan Fathers
up to the present grand public school
system.
MISS NELLIE MORGAN was the next
speaker. Her subject, "Woman's In
fuence." was made a pleasing one by
this young lady just budding into
womanhood; and if she follows up in
after life her ideas of what ''wom-
an S influence can accomplish she will
become a blessing to mankind land
womankind also] She referred to
numerous pndisputed incidents to
prove that many of the best and most
noble deeds of man were inspired and
aided by a woman's clear perception
and loving care and solicitude.
MISS VIDA SHAW chose as the SUBJ
iect of ler oratioa that celebrated
French heroine, Joan of Arc" Miss
Vida, in a charming manner and with
pleasing narrative, spoke of the inspir-
alton, the frmness of purpose, the
heroic fortitude and unselfSh devotion
to country exhibited By the life and
works of her heroine. The speaker
was self possessed but not spoiled with
assurance, and won from the audience
the same round appreciation that had
greeted those who spoke before her.
GEO. W. NIMOCKs. JR., pext ad-
dressed tha audience. His subject,
Bismarck, Gladstone and Blaine"
was rather deep one to be tackled by
school boy, but Master George han
died it with great credit to himself.
and in manner that neither Of the
eminent men ha spoke about would
take exceptiers TO could they have been
present to hear. Should the speaker
make it his life work to emulate the
example of either Bism arck, Gladstone
or Blaine he will prove himself use
full member of society.
Miss ANNA CRUMMACK selected as
her subject 'Stonehenge," a hist orical
assemblage of ruins on Salisbury
Plains, Wiltshire, England, supposed
to be the remains of an ancient Druid s
temple, where the sun worshipers were
wont to congregate to do homage to
what to them was the ruling power of
the Universe. Her address was inter-
esting, inasmuch as it treated of the
scientific discoveries of both ancient
and modern astronomers,
LEE HILLS spoke next upon THE
Immigrant and The Republic" Lee
has had good deal of practice in elo-
cutionary training, and rather outdid
his predecessors of the class in rhetoric
and gesture. The ideas he expressed
of what is wanting in the way OF a
regulation of the immigration laws of
the 2 nited States, were good and to
the point, though he made the
mistake of insinuatingly attacking a
certain church organization which he
assumed was menace to the good OF
this land. While it is not our inten-
tion to criticise the boy-he did splen-
deidly-we do not think religious pref
udices should have been permitted to
be worked into our shool exercises,
Miss ELLA MILLER next delivered
her address upon The Use of Money .
She pointed out its usefulness, its
value aid its dangers. She deprecated
VIZ A0Oo bhoS q AAe1h ohOut0 OC
ned for his ability to accumulate money
so long as he made an honest, manly
use of his money, and while not deny
ing that money is the rot of all evil
she also showed that it was the foun-
dation, the incentive of much good.
Miss KATIE VOLLMER chose as hel
subject Faust" the hero of celebrated
drama by Goethe "Faustn was SUP.
posed to be a German student whose
anxiety to discover more than 9th eli:
Lad led him to make compact witt
the deYil, which resulted in old SataI
GMephistopheles] leading the ambition
student merry dance of sensual en-
joyment but eventually carrying off the
doomed soul to eternal punishment
The subject was a difficult one, but
was handled by Miss Katiein a pleas
ing maneF.
EMANUEL BUEss chose a practica
subject. The Present State of ths
Science of Elsctricity" He described