Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1898-06-03
=
FIRST Coal REACHED.
Successful Ending =, of the:
= Local High School -
= Year. = - '--:s-5-.
oRATIONS were UNUSUALLY GOOD
Commencement Exercises
- 49, H. ,:" q -
Listened to by a Large
Z
Audience.

Audience - -
< --.-'-'. :: r :.z~:
= -.'s:,,;. -
When Rev. F. A. Sumner arose to
open with prayer the High school
exercises at the opera
house last Friday evening, the large
auditorium was packed to the doors
with the relatives and friends Of the
graduating class, and with those in
terested in the city schools.
The stage was decorated with
evergreens and bunting in the class
colors- royal purple and corn and
the. national colors. On the stage
We're the graduates, Supt. Rowe, the
board OF education and the chorus. =:
After the prayer the chorus, under
the direction of John Cans, sang
"Faithful and True:'' and met with
great applause, as did all the num-
bers rendered by it during the eve
ming. -" ::r~;~ ~ .,,:''r"
Miss Grace Mahan was the first of
the graduating class to speak. Her
subject was the "Monk of St: Mark
Girolamo Savonarola, the visionary,
prophet, priest,- reformer, statesman,
Of old Florence. Miss Mahan
sketched the life of the Dominican
monk from his birth and early life in,
Eerrara to his death on the piazza
della signoria. The complex, char.
aeter ofsavonarola has b,en treated.
from many sides. Miss Mahan's
onationsaMas ss,from : thesafaXerable
standpoint. she described the
monks boyhood days in Ferrara, SO
different from those; ;;ofl youth, days
spent in deep meditation on the evils
of the times, hisN entrance into p
Dominican monastery, then his apt
pearance as The prior OF st. Marx:
The state OF Florence during the
closing years of the fifteenth century,
when the people were absorbed in
pomp and display, and the great
changes effected by the preaching 81
Savonarola, were Welt shown. For
a few brief years the prophet priest
ruled Florence like p dictator, but
the change from i 1laki6g to. strictnesa ictne
was too much for the people, and
their dissatisfaction, fomented by the
princes who were enemies of Savon-
arola, culmin ated in his overthrow.
he was arrested and put into the
cell once occupied by Cosimo del
Medici.
con the 21st of May the sentence Of
death was published and that same eve
ming communicated to the condemned
man. twas his last night on earth
Savonarola> asked for one final interview
with his brethren. which was granted.
They spent the whole night in prayer,
confession and song. When the sun
again arose over the snow-capped noun
tains OF northern Italy and cast it's fair
rays over the city OF Florence, it saw
the three condemned men going slowly
out to the piazza. There before them
was the gallows surrounded ny thou
sands of speceat tors, eager to witness the
prophet, and just a little to tie side
stood the, executioner. As Savonarola
assembled the ladder, he paused for one
short instant and sadly looked at the
multitude-a few moments more and
Fra Girolamo Savonarola's5 life boat.
had landed on the shore OF eternity"
Miss Mahan spoke clearly, and
was greeted with we'll deserved ar
plause. Ernest Merrick followed with.
al oration entitled "BulWarks,'
which was we'll conceived, and deliY-
cred in good style.
I.:'sMen act as tbulwarks, varying in
their ability to hold the responsibilities
placed upon them They cannot all be:
like the firm armored parapet OF the
man -of-war, but they may all do their.
part or sGutx.s-* y Statesmen often.
stand up between some great. cause and
the power which threatens 1t, accomp-:
fishing more than great generals or even
armies In e;hands= d dipfom atists lie
{ the reips OF government t To them is en-
trusted the destiny OF the nation: 7 : &c. J.