The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-05-29

Yesterday marked the close of the
Wilmington public graded schools,
after the most successful years work
in their history. The features of the
closing ceremonies yesterday were the
highly creditable exhibit of work and
entertainment at the Union school
building from IL to 1 o'clock, and the
commencement exercises al the Tiles
ton High school building last night.
The exercises at the Union school
building were of a very creditable
character, well UP to the high stand
ard set by the similar programme rem
dered at Hemenway building on the
day previous and reported in yester-.
days issue of The Messenger. And the
commencement exercises at Tileston
High school were a fitting cap-stone
for the closing ceremonies of the
schools-the pride and glory of Will
mington, and by odds the largest and
best system of city public schools in
North Carolina.
TILESTON COMMENCEMENT Elk
ERCISES.
A very large and especially repre-
sentative audience filled to it's utmost
capacity the assembly hall of Tileston
High school last night and were treat
ed to n of the most enjoyable and
highly c~reditable commencement pro-
grammes ever rendered in Whining
ton.
The c~ommodious rostrum was adorn-
ed in quite a tasteful with
potted plants, vases of cut flowers,
ETC., and was occupied by as handsome
a graduating class as could well be
inn q 0inn6 furo IhroxynN hove o-I Jo,0
charming girls-the bravery of the
boys comes in by reason Of their being
so greatly outnumbered. With the
class was their gifted teacher, Miss
Worth, h efficient principal of the
High school, and Mr.. John J.. Blair,
superintendent of the Wilmington pub
lie school system.
There were also occupying seats on
the rostrum. Colonel A. NJ. Waddell,
the orator of the evening; Mr.. James
F. Post, chairman of school committee
No.. l; Mr.. James H. Chadbourn, ST.,
chairman of school committee No. q;
Captain w. r. Kenan, and Mr.. r. J.
Jones. of the school committee; Cap
tain E. w. Manning, superintendent of
the county public schools; Mr.. B. G..
Worth, of h county school board, and
Rev. j. n. Cole, pastor of Grace Meth
odist Episcopal church.
While the audience was assembling
and as an Introduction for the pro-
gramme of the evening, an excellent
string band, concealed on the rostrum
behinh the scenes, d~iscoursed sweet
strains of music, popular airs, which
were greatly enjoyed.
1t was nearly 9 o'clock when Super
intendent Blair, in behalf of the school
officials, the faculty and the pupils,
welcomed the people and called upon
Rev. ]. N. Cole to invoke the blessings
of the Deity upon the exercises. Rev.
Mr.. Cole offered a fervent and es-
pecially appropriate invocation.
CREATIONS BY GRADUATES
Mr.. Blair next introduced Mr.. Will
liam Zachariah Corbett. a member Of
the graduating class, who delivered a
comprehensive and we'll prepared ora
ton on THE Famine in India"
The next graduate introduced was
Miss F1orrie Virginia King, whose sub
ject was 1.-THE Importance of Indus
trial Training for Young Women" Her
grafton was admirably prepared and
fuently delivered, cardinal points
made being the necessity of physio-
logical culture, training for business,
medical training and a liberal educa-
ton.
The third graduate introduced was
Miss Gertrude Bryan who, In an ad-
mirably prepared grafton, paid a de-
serving tribute to John McDonogh,
the great benefactor to the schools of
New Orleans and Baltimore, between
which he divided his vast fortune for
the betterment of their schools. Miss
Bryan gave a concise biography of
.McDonogh, and pointed out many i'm
portant lessons to be learned from his
unSelfish career.
Idols of Today" was the subject Of
Miss Carrie Elizabeth Duffy, of the
graduating class Hpr ORC Hon Uoc -
ticularly we'll prepared and duivered
with a degree of excellence which
ELECTED especial applause, so much so
that she was obliged to acknowledge
an encore. She held up the immortal
Washington as the chief of worthy
idols, paid a glowing tribute to the i'm
mortal Robert E. Lee, paid an appro-
pirate tribute to Dewey and other mil
itary idols, commented upon literary
idols, idols of the stage, the pulpit, and
last, but not least, political idols. The
latter, being a girl, she modestly
claimed to know but little about. but
brought down the house with an ap-
propr1ate reference to Bryan, the great
democratic leader.
Mr. James Charles Craft won mer-
tied applause by the delivery of an
grafton on the subject "a Physical
Basis for Character"
The delivery Of orations was closed
by Miss Jane MeareS Williams, who
treated in a most admirable manner
the subject Does the Short Story
Corrupt Our Higher Literary Taste?''
Each of the other members of the
graduating class had prepared es-
pecially good orations, but it was i'm
possible, owing to the large number Of
them, to ave them all delivered. The
other graduates and their subjects
were as follows:
Miss Francis King Chadbourn-"The
Present Tendencies Of Art 1 n America"
Miss Elizabeth Davidge Daggett-
'The Verse People Of Tennyson."
Miss Ida Hankins-"Our English Re-
lationship."
Miss Margaret Elizabeth Montgom-I
ery-"Developments Of Commerce"
Miss Mary Annie Newbury-"The
Boy Ideal in Literature"
Miss Isabelle Richmond Struthers-
1.-The Evolution Of the Piano-Forte."
Miss May Green Walsh-"The Dual
Education"
The delivery of the orations was in
fnrcD4~-l -rsfL m nI-of.ohl-- $500