The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-05-30
ALL GRADUATED NOW.
The Summer Commencement of
the High School Seniors.
THE HALL CROWDED WITH PEOPLE.


pIOmns-N0E All Take Part in the
Programme.
Twenty four of the sweetest young
ladies who ever read graduating essay,
and nine young men who were not so
sweet but equally as promising gradu-
ated from the Topeka high school last
night. They have completed the public
school course of Topeka, and to use
their own favorite expression they "are
going forth to battle with the world"
AS one of the graduates who was go
ing forth to "do battle" said, ave are
just entering onto life's stage and we see
before us green fields and singing birds
full of melody and promise" This
young man enters upon the stage wrong.
If he were facing the footlights as he
should have been, there would be no
green fields in sight and no melodies
save the orchestra. The young man was
either facing the scenery, or the stage
was in circus tent.
The graduating exercises were held in
the auditorium Of the new high school
building. The school board was too
economical to rent an opera house for
the occasion and the result was that three
thousand people attempted to crowd into
a hall meant to seat less than one thou
sand Every inch of standing room was
packed with eager, perspiring humanity
The night was hot and the Smead sys-
TENS c0ld-air furnaces were not in evil
dence. At times it seemed as though
the other furnaces were
The high school faculty was there, and
hobnobbed among the throng like the
floor committee at an annual ball The
members of the school board were pres
ent too, to see that everything was done
right They tip-toed across the stage
and from one room to another, like doc
tors in a sick room. And the janitor5,
they were on hand in force.
The three regular janitors, reinforced
by lot more, were fully as important as
anyone there. They were everywhere,
and did the best they could to follow out
conflicting orders.
The decorations were profuse. There
were palms at each side of the stage,
and the black board at the rear
of the rostrum was entirely conceal
ed with asparagus branches, into which
the class motto was lettered with daisies,
E'PERsPICE AMPLIUs." The various class
es had banners attached from the rails
of the balcony, and the chandeliers we're
draped with bunting.
That the young ladies were calm and
self possessed is attested by the fact that
mouse ran across the stage and not one
of them tainted, or even screamed.
1t was twenty minutes after schedule
time when a mandolin club rendered the
first number on the programme.
Then some of the juniors, who we're
packed into the balcony, began by an
evidently prearranged plan, to sing songs
calculated to prove as gall and worm
wood to the other classes. It may have
| been prearranged but it wasn't pre-
rehearsed. At times the chorus was out
of tune, and so weak it was drowned by
the Kisses of the Jealous pupils. Among
the songs applied to familiar tunes were
"Bye, Seniors, Bye-O," and "Where, Oh,
Where, Can the Sub-Juniors Be-"
Then President r B. Welch introduced
Bishop Vincent, who asked Divine
grace for the thirty three young men
and women who were just entering upon
life's duties.
Next the graduating class marched on
to the stage-not 'life's stage" heretofore
mentioned, but the other stage-and was
greeted with applause. They marched
two by two, the young ladies being ac-
companied by the young men as far as
they held OUT and then the girls accom-
panied each other
AOJ 4OOhOo JAOb6Js ONOLJ Ou0 Vi GU,
the girls did. They all wore white
dresses. except one who wore pink. The
boys had on new clothes of regulation
ministerial black. In the brief interval
after they were seated one could almost
hear the smiles of approval from proud
parents and relatives and admiration of
the other people.
Fred G. Blake, the salutatorian by
reason of his class standing, advanced
and delivered his address in a manly
way. What he said was appropriate and
thoughtful, and he said it pleasingly.
Helen Buckmaster's essay, "Not Who,
But What?" was pretty essay we'll de-
livered
There was some dsmay when it was
found that Percy v Hammon's "de
oratione," which was next, was all in
Latin. At first the audience thought
maybe it was German or French, but at
length they agreed that it was Latin.
They couldn't understand it and they
didn't like it, They felt as they would
| if some one had stocked the deck -
The address was delivered with the Ro-
man pronunciation, and the audience
might easily imagine itself back at the
Roman forum and that Cicero was max
ing an address in favor of the militia de-
ficiency appropriation bill
Miss Mary josephine Shellabarger's
instrumental solo, "Caprice heroique,
by De Konski, was a difficult selection
admirably rendered.
A discussion of the subject, "Did Shy
lock receive justice at the court of Ven
ice?" was next, with Magda s. Harper
on the affirmative and Nancy NJ. Hair
per, her younger sister, on the negative
Magda Harper painted Shylock as Z
type of all that was worst in mankind
and said that he got lust what he de-
served. She declared that in any fed
eral court today the same Shylock fol
the same offense would be put to death
Then Nancy Harper said that ShylocH
was abused until he was justified in hi.
intense hatred of Antonio. On the the
DRY that treat a man like a dog and he'll
act like one," Shylock insisted OF
the fulfllment of an obligation
which, if illegal. should hav,