The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1896-06-05

The High School graduated an I'M
: usually large andexcellent classFriday
night The opera house, which was
wisely chosen as the place for holding
the exercises, was crowded, and the
stage presented beautiful appear
ance. The class of fifteen occupied
front seats on the right, with the
High School faculty opposite, and the
large chorus filling the seats to the
rear. The lower boxes were occupied
by the members of the school board.
The graduating class is bright and
intellectual appearing lot of young
| people. According to their courses,
| they are the following:
7 Classical Course-Geo. W. BeiSe,
! Louis NJ Osborn, Edward Freeman,
Robert L. Man, Howard A. Treat,
Roy G. Hudson.
Latin Course-Bonnetta Cornish,
John w. Schmitt, Franklin E. Heidel,
Elsie e. Schwartz.
English Course-Joseph E. Austin,
Ottilie L. Liedloff, Charles s. Wake
field, Gertrude S. Burgess, Frank B.
knott.
The class motto is Rowing, not
h Drifting"
| The exercises opened with selec-
5ion by the High School orchestra,
which showed itself entitled to rank
among the musical organizations of
the city.
Rev. G. III. Davis, of St. Johns Epis-
copal church, offered an invocation.
A well trained boys chorus, directed
by Miss Deem, sang ga Sailors
Song"
The address of the evening was then
given by DR.. H. A. Cleveland, of the
First Methodist church of this city,
on the subject, "The Relation of Gull
ture to the Common Welfare" 1t
was a mastery address. and we are
sorry that our space permits of only
the following brief synopsis:
He defined culture as the grace and
art Of the social life; as not scien-
titft passion for gaining knowledge,
but for doing good; as that which to
others along with US; as the perfec-
! tion of citizenship. Manly culture,
while it begins with the physical,
must go on to the things that are dis
tinctively manly. 1t sees and prefers
the better things, and seeks to make
them common benefit. Social well
fare and progress are carried forward
by the influence and urgent achiev-
lngs of the Individual man of manly
culture The state or commonwealth
which does not within itself produce
such culture is doomed. The great
est thing the commonwealth can do
is to produce citizen of urgent Gull
ture.
If, in this great country of ours, the
masses ever rise to higher ideals and
and seek effectively the virtues that
condition a better life and better
general welfare, somebody must set
them the example and must do it in
such a way as to secure confidence of
the people and cause them to follow
him. The masses of the people are
lifted up, not by argument, but by
type.
There is feeling abroad that a
chasm separates the culture of our
time from our social and political in
terestS. This feeling is deepened by
the increasing number of men in our
political public who are entirely in
adequate TO the problem, who splut-
ter abe ut there like a Fourth of July
fire-cracker and get nothing done
that it is worth while to do. A theory,
which savorS Of fataliSm seems to have
been adopted by no little of our Gull
ture: it regards social progress as an
inevitable evolution, and as neither
helped nor hindered by anything the
individual, however cultured and
great, does or fails to do. 1t is an
erroneous theory; it is a harmful
theory. 1t is often inactive in the
face of crying needs, and yields to diff
fcultieS that are really surmOuntable,
and to disasters and miSerieS that are
reparable and might have been pre-
vented. 1t is an abuse of the doctrine
of evolution itself, as applied to social
questions, and is false TO the facts of
history. In the world of nature evolu-
tion is doubtless, Gods method of pro-
gress. But in human society He brings
about His purposes of welfare and OF
progress, chiefly by the influence and
achieyings of individual men; He i'm
presses His will on the constitution OF
individual minds, and makes them
the commissioners Of welfare and the
leaders of progress. Thus it is that
the worlds history is largely bio
graphy: is the story of few mems
lives and of their doings. The in
fuential man changes the course of
human progress. He initiates and the
people follow after He touches the
helm and the ship receives new d.
rection.