Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1899-06-08
EXTRA HIGH SCHOOL.
Commencement Exercises-A Class
of Five.


of Five.
ISHE Tenth Annual Commencement exer.
cises of the Extra High school held
Friday evening, June End, at the
Il Methodist church was one of the
most successful and pleasing entertainments
of its kind ever held in the history of the town.
The church was handsomely and artistically
decorated with potted plants and beautiful cut
flowers. At an early hour the friends, relatives
and all the lovers of the truer, higher and
nobler conditions of life, commenced filing in
and by the time the appointed hour had ar
rived, every seat and every foot of available
standing room was taken. while at the doors
and windows on either side was large groups
assembled, who could not possibly gain adj
mittance One of the largest and most APP
preciative audiences that ever assembled
in the town waited eagerly but patiently, until
the sweet strains of music pealed forth, sweep
ing over the vast audience and out onto the
perfect stiffness of the evening, which slgnaled
the entrance of those who formed the gradual
ing class of '99. First the class of Juniors,
the coming hope and future pride of our schools
followed by those whose orations were indicative
of the completion of the course of study pre-
scribed by the Board of Education. Their fore
heads and temples bore traces OF culture and
refinement and upon Their visage was depicted
no traces of care and sorrow. The hopes and
fears, the joys and griefs of girlhoods years
had only assisted in maturing and developing
their higher and better qualities of heart and
soul, preparing them for life of usefulness in
the busy rushing, onward march of the worlds
progress and advancement. Amid the profuse
caf tbn
their sweet girlsh charms and deep and last
ing expressions of true and constant intelligence
while at their right was seated Prof. w. H.
Fort, the efficient and faithful principal of our
schools-the pride, and the fond and cherished
hope OF our greatness and our goodness. be-
yond these was seated the honored sages of the
Board of Education who looked upon the scene
with feeling of pride to think they had been
the privileged instruments of honor and dis.
tinction, managing the conditions and affairs
SO nobly as to permit of such grand results as
the occasion witnessed, gave evidence
Above the graduates hung the class motto:
.sOnward is Our Aim"
ETHEL HICKS, with The Downfall of
II Spain" as the subject of her GRAFTON,
IL condensed many of the principal events of
narrating the successive failures that she has
made in her downward career, loosing step by
step her former greatness and prestage. One
after another of her possessions rebelled owing
to her tyrannical yoke of oppression until but
little of her once vast and valuable territory
remains under her jurisdiction. From her
former position of power and greatness when
the zenith of her greatness made her one of the
foremost powers of Europe, she has gradually
declined until the last vestage of her outlying
possessions have been taken from her by the
United States in the recent war, just closed.
Her Grafton was in its composition logical and
retorical, bearing evidence of superior training.
That her school days have not been spent in
vain and that she is well fitted and qualified to
perform the higher duties that await her in
LIES pathway, gives pleasure to those who
tenderly cared for her wants and comforts dur
ing her school day pilgrimage.
IN OSE FAUST, with THE Cranks of the
X World" as her subject. forcibly and fear
IN lessly handled it, displayed courage,
backed by sincerity of purpose and deter
mination that clearly demonstrated that in or
der to be successful and beneficial in life one
must possess advanced ideas in the onward
march of progress, which when feebly operated
and success not being achieved, the world calls
such crank But if one is successful, sweep
ing away all barriers and overcoming all pend
ing obstacles and eradicating all existing hind
RANGES the world no longer call such a one
crank but success in his operations and term
his work blessing and benediction to man
kind. Cranks always create opposition and
excite one to action and without such the
many movements of the progress and advance
ment of the world today would be dormant and
die for want of a potent force to carry it
The style and import of her Grafton was such as
to harmonic with the subject. Her Grafton
was free, frank, forceful and open, expressing
conditions regardless of the opinions of others.
That she is prepared for the great field of act
ion in the worlds activities no one who heard
her will doubt.
TTHEL RILEY handled her subject las
n Others See U.s. with beauty and
~ grandeur that was picturesque, and por
trayed her knowledge of the actions and opin-
ions of men and women of today. Public opin
ion of us is "As Others See Us" and regardless
of what we may fondly entertain as the public's
estimation of us, we are, as a rule, about in
reality, what the public says we are regard
less of what we pretend to be or would like to
be. Her knowledge of human nature as por-
trayed in her Grafton, will prove beneficial to
her, in after years, as she goes forth in the
broad field of life, battling with the duties and
cares and responsibilities that confronts one
and is strewn along the pathway of life. While
the subject was an abstract one and could not
be written from knowledge of historical facts,
it required mind full of daily experiences or
observations from which to draw the pictures,
which she did in manner that would be credit,
able to one of mature years, whose life has been
full of actual experiences Her friends will
closely watch and fondly hope that she may
put her ideas into action and be blessing to
her associates and friends leading useful and
active life guarding, directing and assisting in
all that will be for the general welfare and sue
cessful achievements of mankind.
HLORENCE HUNT, representing the junior
n class, beautifully, scholarly and touch.
i ingly addressed the graduates, reviewing
past relations and former associations and
highest hopes as they depart from school day
Joys and grefs to partake of the busy scenes of