Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-06-12
ONE HUNDRED AND TWELVE On ROLL
Ottumwa Boys and Girls who Will
Enter the Ottumwa High School in
September = Pleasing Pro-
gram Rendered.
From Saturdays Daily.

they had completed the course OF study
prescribed in the eighth grade of the
Ottumwa schools and giving them au-
thority to enter the high school in Sep
TENDER. A program that had been
carefully prepared was pleasingly de-
livered, each number being enthusiastic
cally encored. This was followed by an
address by Rev.. II. "A. johnson, pastor
of the First Congregational church, of
this city, after which the diplomas
We're presented.
The students with their fresh, young
faces. made a pleasing picture for the
hundreds of auditors who thoroly en-
joyed what they and others on the pro-
gram had to say.
Address by Rev. r. A, Johnson.
Rev. johnson was introduced by Prof
a. w. Stuart, principal OF, the Ottum-
wa schools, and said: ss
When the superintendent asked me
to take part in these exercises, he made
two things veryfclear to ne-to make
my remarks informal and to be brief.
This occasion turns my thought backs
ward to twelve or fifteen years ago,
| when I stood in much the same posi-;
ton as you stand now. 4 remember
as tho it had been yesterday, the time
and had but two grades. / wondered
at that time il should complete the
one let alone the two. Now am not
here to extend advice but to congratu-
late you. this day upon your success. Il
congratulate you because you stand on
the threshold of the high school.
hope you expect to enter the high
school Let nothing i'm heaven or on
earth 4or in the waters beneath the
earth hinder you from entering it and
completing theicourse. Nou do not
know the power that is within you.
You are like tender plant that has
been covered all this time, but the COW
ering is about to be taken off. You
need the advantages the high school
will give, because the age demands that
you have better training than your
father and mother had. You need a
| better education to take a mans and
woman's place in the world. So / say
You have u fixed and definite purpose.
That lies at the base ofsal1 success. AS
l look around NE every day ! am i'm
4 pressed with the many young men and
women who havesno fixed purpose. Re-
member what Carlisle says, and by the
way if you are not acquainted with
Carlisle, lose no time in getting ac-
quainted with his writings, when he
says: Have "a fixed purpose in life, if
4 it is only to killeand sell oxen, well, but
have a purpose; it puts iron in .a he
4 blood and marrow in the bones This
j naeans. the, concentration ofBallf your
/ powers upon some one definite, lauda-
\ ,bleathing. Look at the skilled musician
whose execution is but the concentra-
ton of his energy upon his vocation;
Hook at the engineer as he stands with
4 his hand at the throttle; how easily he
controls the mighty mass. 1t. all re-
suits from concentrating ones mind
and energy upon some one thing.
You have probably learned in your
/ study ,of physics or will soon learn it.
4 that If a stone is dropped from the tor
}of tall building, the first second il
travels sixteen feet; theasecond second
Ethirty-two feet and SO on; the fur theI
it drops the more powerful has. $50 j,
l.isewith you; the long YOU go forward
with a fixed, definite purpose the more
power you will have. Rem mber what
lRsniamin. Disreali said when on the
lsfidon of the house of commons: 'The
4 time will come when yon shall heal
] mel and it did as the result Of "a def
mite purpose and energy
4 Enter the high school. To stoI
,.1]now would be to stop the growth of {
Iplant that will never reach maturity
j God has. designed that plants grow
! during the months of June, July, All
8 gust and September: this correspond
Ito the four years OF the high schoo
course"
Prof A. W. SMART
4 Prof. Stuart thanked the immense
audience for their attention during tbs
rendition of the program and said:
Il think you will Join with me il
saying that these pupils have taken {
that which you have heard this after
noon.
81 am sad on this occasion because
can never call them children any long
er. I visited the high schol the Other
day and inadvertently used the tern
children in speaking of the scholar.
and then realized that they We're fas
approaching manhood and womanhood
so 1T is that can always call then
children while in the lower grades bu
when they reach the high school it il
different. Yet l am glad that the,
have progressed so far as to be able Il
enter the high school. l read in thu
/ newspapers that but about one-half O
i those from the lower grades take tn,
. further step. 1t is not SO in Ottumwa
! almost all keep on This is by far TIT
largest class of any yet graduated from
/. the grades and comprises about 15
!. boys and girls. These on the stag
number 112; some ten or twelve NOR
will during the summer months, brusl
{ up on those branches in which they ar
now deficient and will, in all probable
4 ity, enter the high school in Septem
Der. / now take pleasure in present
! ing to these graduates certificates at
testing to their fitness for the highe
education"
II Whooping cough and mumps are ep
: idemic among children in differen
points of Van Buren, county.