La Junta tribune., 1898-05-28
TOWARD THE STARS.
coMMEmcEnEnT EXERCISES OF TINE
CLASS or 'es.
The Opera House eesutifuiIy Decor
sted and the Graduates Greeted
By IN Immense Audience
Brief synopsis Of the
Efforts.

ne SIKH annual commencement
exercises OF Union High School
No. took place at the opera
house Thursday evening, May 10th.
The facilities of the opera house
being inadequate to accommodate
the large number OF people who
desired to attend these exercises,
it was necessary to reserve large
number OF seats for the parents
and friends of the graduates, the
alumni and patrons of the schools.
Every available seat and every
inch of standing room was utilized,
and even then several hundred
people were turned away disap-
pointed, unable to gain admittance.
The opera house was tastetully
decorated with flags and bunting,
and the stage bower OF floral
beauty, redolent with the perfume
OF pottcd plants and trailing vines.
Across ti-s proscenium the class
motto .sAd AstraT blazed forth in
incandescent lights, and immed-
lately above the familiar emblem
of the day, "Oid Glory and the
Cuban flag.
After music by Prof. Daniels
orchestra the exercises were open
ed by Rev. Elmer Ward Cole with
an invocation, Immediately follow
ed by Seth Hubbard Savage in the
salutatory and Grafton, "Science
Among the Ancients. He re-
viewed TIE history OF science among
the ancients, telling us OF their
primitive attempts at solution OF
the mysteries OF nature about them.
More was known by the ancients
about astronomy than all the other
sciences combined and it took the
uppermost place in the minds of
men. Little was known about
philosophy or the science OF medi-
cine, but some OF the germs of the
theories of the ancients have grown
and produced some Of the grandest
and greatest truths OF our latter
day conception of the mysteries
OF science.
Misses Saidee Steen, Alice Ken
dali, Blanche 3arngrover and Dora
Lynn then favored the audience
with an appropriate song, which
was greatly enjoyed.
The thesis OF Miss Lorena
kearse, Cuba, Past and Present, :"
struck popular chord, and at the
conclusion OF her effort she was
greeted with patriotic ovation.
Once in the lifetime OF every man
and every nation comes time OF a
battle royal for an abiding princi-
ple-truth or error. Cuba was at
once the fairest and yet the most
miserable OF nations, the poorest
and the richest. She was intended
by nature to be free and independ-
ent, and how has she suffered un-
der the blighting misrule OF the
mother country. She has given
all that she had that Spain might
live. Spain was once in the fore
most rank with history without
parallel in the list OF nations. Avar-
ice, greed and oppression had
caused her to lose one colony after
another, and until now she was
bankrupt. The loss OF Cuba will
be her death blow. Cuba yearns
for liberty. She has risked life
and fortune for half century in
the struggle for liberty. Weyler
and all of Spain's officials have
thought more Of enriching them
selves than putting down rebellion.
The end of misrule is near and the
flag of Spain will soon disappear
forever from the land DER which it
first waved.
The sub seniors then followed
with the appropriate song, "Be
Thou Forever Free, Oh, Cuba
Island of the Brave"
Harry Thomas O'Connor in his
orstion. "The Campaign Of $780,"
reviewed the history Of that men,