River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1896-06-11

! uleUl Was uciu III Oltfd lld4i. hutS
day evening, June 4. Long befor,
the time announced for the exercises
to begin, an immense cOncOurse o
people had assembled, and many wer,
unable to gain admittance. Notwith
standing the crowded condition of TN,
hall, the most respectful sttentioT
was given to the speakers.
Opera Hall was tastefully decorated
with ferns, pot flowers, wreaths, DO
quets, etc. by the Junior Class. just
over the front part of the stage anC
beneath an arch of evergreens wa!
suspended the class motto, 1--WE di,
Saat. so die Ernie" as the seed, so the
harvest. The citizens. the High Schoo
pupils, and the the teachers appeared
TO vie with one another in making
this occasion the greatest in the schoo
life of the graduates, and one worthy
our beautiful little city.
One of the most pleasant features
OF the evening was the music fur.
nished by Mrs. Toby and Inez Toby
Marie Tossing, and the Male Quartet
consisting of Soren Rasmussen, b. E
Weeks, Clarence S. Dodge and Harry
Hurlbert, Mrs. Borden accompanist.
The first speaker of the evening
was Miss Gertie Andrus who spoke on
''Some OF Shakespeare's Women
She took up some of the leading fe'
male characters in Shakespeare
plays and discussed what appeared tC
her TO be their most prominent char
acteristicS. She maintained that
Shakespeare's women possess the
characteristics of real women, but
that they are ruled by passion, espe'
cially love; selfiShneSS is far removed
from them and they will sacrifice any
thing for the happiness and comfort
OF their lovers; superstition and light
joyful natures are characteristics COM
mon to some of Shakespeare's women.
Miss Andrus instanced such charac-
tiers as Portia in the Merchant OF
Venice, Lady Macbeth, Calpurnia,
and several others to verify her con-
illusions.
Miss Della Savage spoke on Public
Schools a Public Necessity" She
maintained that under a republican
form of government the greatest pro
lection and security that can possibly
be afforded to our established institu-
tions, are a general diffusion of knOwl-
edge and an acquaintance with the
simple principles of our government
and that the public schools are the
quickest and most effective means OF
disseminating this knowledge. She
quoted Washington and Jefferson who
declared that il would be impossible
for a people TO be ignorant and free al
the same time. She showed that pub
lie schools had their origin along with
the republican form of government
and that our forefatheTs who dared Il
overthrow a mOnarchial form of gov
eminent, had wisdom enough to pro
vide system of popular education fol
the kind Of government they hac
established.
Miss Jennie f. Linehan read very
entertaining and well written History
of the Glass. She stated that all thu
members of the graduating class haC
been together from the time they en-
tered the fifth grade in the public
school with one exception, Miss Bessie
Rounsevell having joined the class il
the eighth grade. When the elias:
entered the High School it consisted
of thrity-two members, but for vari
Gus reasons, il had been reduced u
the small number of six girls, some
had been compelled to leave school u
90 to work, and others had dropped
out of school or fallen behind the clas
because they did not have the nerg'
and ambition to push on to the goal
Miss Linehan then took up the histor,
of each member of the class and gave
a brief but interesting summary o
the school life of the different mem
bers. She closed by stating that the.
had solved one great problem TO
themselves but the greatest problem
before them now is, what can we d.
and where can we find places for our
selves in the world?
Miss Jennie Beers discussed the sub
ject of 1.-THE Influence of Greek Myth
On Modern Literature" She showed
that Greek myths are so interwover
i'm our modern literature that it i
| impossible for one to understand
much less appreciate, the allusion
and classical beauty in many o
the finest productions in GU
language, without a knowledge o
Greek mythology. Some of the mos
common and interesting old Greel
myths were narrated and then refer
ences were made to the uses to which
these myths have been put in on
modern literature. The beautiful
story of Pandora was told, and atten
ton was called to the use which Long
fellow made of this myth in hi
ssMasdue of Pandora" and which
Hawthorne made of it in his Wonde
Book. The charming old myth OF Or
pheus. the musician, was given in
delightful manner, and numerous ref
erenceS were made TO the variou
modern authors vino have made US
of this myth. Shakespeare said il
his Henry VIII:
| .OrpheuS with his lutte made trees,
And the mountain tops, thai freeze,
4 Bow themselves, when he die sing:
1 To his muSick, plants and aowers.
| Ever spring: as sun. and showers,
1 There had been a lasting spring"
Miss Beers left the impression tina
what she said is true, and all VIII
wish to understand and appreciate
much that is finest and best in on
modern literature must be well in
formed in Greek mythology.
Miss Lavinia f. Symes delivered al
Grafton on The Educational Ad
vantages of Women OF the Nineteenth
Century Compared with those OF tn
Past She showed that the nine
teenth century is preeminentl.
women's century. In the early age
woman had practically no educationa
advantages, being little better than
slave. She traced the evolution o
schools for women, and showed tn