Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-05-24
THE GRADUATES.
BRIEF REVIEWS OF THE ESSAYS
DELIVERED YESTERDAY.

DELIVERED YESTERDAY.
The following are brief reviews of the
essays delivered last evening by the
members of the graduating class Of the
high school:
THE GENIAL HOLMEs'-REBECCA
GRANEY.
Oliver Wendell Holmes asserted that
the biographies Of men of letters were
usually exceedingly u reading, that
what is best of them fails to be noted.
He said: Il should like to see a mans
biography with corrections and emend-
ations by his ghost. There are really
but two who can truly tell the story OF
ones life-the person himself or the
recording ~angel-the former cannot be
trusted to tell the whole truth. and the
recording angel never let's his book go
out of his hands"
Holmes was more ambitious to be
thought a poet than anything else, and
it depends entirely on the reader
whether he shoul consider Holmes a
genius or not, because some may hesl-
tate to think that he was an inspired
| poet. In 1912, when "Old Ironsides" ap-
peared, he became very popular for the
first time. The suggestion, in some pa
| pers of the day, was made that the old
vessel should be dismantled, as she had
become useless. His ringing
ton of this plan first brought him into
notice as a poet of the tirst-class.
THE POET ARTIST OF THE NINE
TENTH CENTURY"-CORA
FEATHERLY.
We annot separate a poets work
from his life under any circumstances;
for instance, if Tennyson had had to
Ecl% 1;eosr lo%%1o- 10 ,,O,,11 1oryn honn
a more powerful poet and a greater
dramatist. Lord Alfred Tennyson Gre
| ated a new kind of poetry, which was
appreciated at the outset; the leading
poets of the day admired it, but with
reserve, for they are ~overpowered by
the brilliance and the wealth of the
metre; they had never heard such music
before.
The poet owed a great deal to environ
ment, for, although at a very early age
he took a fancy for writing poetry. it took
many years in mmunion with nature
for him to give voice to that feeling
which his poetry contains. He stands in
a closer and more intimate relation to
inanimate nature than did any Of his
predecessors.
He is an ideal Of physical and moral
strength, perceived but restrained; his
hero is a man, who, being strong, is
merciful: who walks in the middle path
of life-a law unto himself.
THE WAR OF ROsEs"-FLORENCE
HICKS.
Goods most dreaded instrument in
working out a pure intent is man array
ed for mutual slaughter
OF all the terrible wars connected
with history, there is not one that we
turn from with so much disgust as
from the war Of the roses. This is
thn or,o 81 vAa1 tn a LONG shameful and
selfish contest between the adherents OF
the houses Of York and Lancaster, rival
branches of the royal family of England.
The saying "That they should take
who have the power, and they should
keep who cam applies to the real OBJ
ject Of this war.
The first battle was fought at st.
Adams, in which the Yorkists were
superior. Many persons Of distinction
We're slain and the king fell into the
hands of the duke, who treated him with
great respect and kindness. but he was
obliged to commit he whole authority
, into the hands of his rival. This was the
first blood split in that fatal quarrel
known as the war of the roses" which
was not finished in less thar a course OF
30 years. This was signalized by IA pitch
ed battles, thus opening a scene of ex-
traordinary ferceness apd cruelty, which
cost the lives of so princes and almost en-.
tirely annihilated the ancient nobility OF
England.
OUR NEW POssEssIONS"-GUY
l. DAVIDSON.
The Americans have been aptly called
the Greeks of modern times. Our danger
today is the lust of empire. This is the
situation of the hour, a situation Whicf
} was not unanticipated by any man who
could think Is minutes ahead of the pres
ent moment, a situation which was mex
orable and as sure of coming as night
follows day. We only ask an indorse'
ment of the declaration of independence
Surely American citizens will not sneel
at this simplicity; surely American
gentlemen have not outgroWn this doc
trine.
The Philippine Islanders did not wage
, war against Spain simply for a change
of masters. They waged that heroic con
D flict-for heroic it was-that they Nigh
secure their independence. They have
: rejected with scorn the high sounding
' manifesto of he president OF the unitet
States. And now they stand with theil
arms in hand u~ndaunted by our might.
fleet and our great army of 10000 me-
resolutely insisting upon independents
and liberty, as they stood for independ
ence and liberty against their oppressOr'
Spain.
What excuse is made for this ag
gression? We are told hat the Filipino'
are utterly incapable of self government
!; and that therefore we should take then
under protection. Oppression always ma
some excuse to offer for its eXactiOnS.
THE GREAT PUBLIC
GERTRUDE ROSENSTEIN.
The assured intellectual possessions o
the present century transcend the wild
est dreams of a century ago. Sclenc'
has discovered and utilized more thai
. imagination had then conceived.
Truths for which generations hav