The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1900-06-28
COMMENCEMENT.
High School Class Of 1900
Graduated Last Night at
Academy of Music.
MISS YOUNG WINS MEDAL
Forensic Society Bestows
Honor Upon Her as Best
Speaker-E Essays and
Honors.

Girls girls, girls! Nothing but girls!
That was the scene at the Academy of
Music last night when the curtain went
up in the first act of that drama, High
School Graduation. And very pretty that
chorus of girls. looked, roo all in their
gowns of white, under a forest OF trees
left standing, or rather hanging, from
Chauncey Olcott's last production, or
some other relic of bygone days, with
the Board of Education, faculty and min
isteriai dfgnitaries at their best. Not a
boy was to be seen. They were tucked
away somewhere out of sight, like Glib
sons signatures among the folds OF
gauzy drapery and formed the bass
things in the chorus.
wednesday evening. June q. 1900, at
eight o'clock" read the programme. 1t
was nearer nine when the curtain went
up. but the audience felt like the bride
groom awaiting his belated bridge at the
altar and forgot all about impauence or.
anything else hut the beauty of the scene
before it. While the audience was stni
wrapt in admiration Mr.. Joseph Hough $
Orchestra rendered ''Rounders," and then
the wrap changed for the cloak of medi-
tation as the Rev. Henry c. Cronin arose
to invoke. Hearts and Flowers
eTobinD, by the orchestra, put the audi
lnee in trim for the excitement OF the
coming contest, when each speaker was
to try for the SIS gold. medal offered by the
Forensic Society. The judges, the Hon.
Flayel MCGEE, Judge John A. Blair and
Counselor Harry winfield, sat in the bal
cony. and the majority of the Forensic
Society sat in the gallery above ready to
give the society yell the moment the VIM
ner shoald be announced
Ut first the elias had to be presented and
superintendent of Schools Henry Snyder
was most appropriately chosen for this
function:-ssIt is fair OF say" said he,
.sthat YOUR presence here tonight means
vcur personal interest in the young men
and women graduates. ut this was not
all he said The hole city should be
intei.ysted The school was established
fort the purpose of perpetuating the
State and her institutions. Each school
child cost the city twenty dollars and
each High School pupil thirty dollars, so
that in the school course ow twelve years.
Every city at least $3.50. This expense of
course was borne by the taxpayers and
therefore they should be interesting in
everything pertaining to the school. He
concluded by cordially inviting every
citizen to visit the schools and in present
ing thegraduating class n ALL.
Miss Julia Estelle Phelps gave the sal
utatory address. She was valedictorian
of the January Glass, but not reaching as
high an average as the valedictorian of
the Junior Glass was not permitted the
honor of yaledictorian for the evening
.'Welcome and farewell said she.
ssWhat volumes are contained in those
two words-in the one so much joy and
in the other so much sadness. There are
no two words so beautiful in the English
language. Tonight we are launched on
the wide world each TO drift into the
channels fate has prepared for US, and
we meet here tonight to perform the last
graduating rites'' and concluded by ring
ing in the prophesy made by every salu-
tatorian for at least the past twenty
years-that of a new High School build
ing.
Here the chorus sang, "Jocund Spring, !"
and Miss Florence Woelsey, third honor In
the January class, rendered very clever
ESSAY on "Open Sesame She referred to
the care of treasure in the fairy tale, com
pairing it with the cave of treasure of to-
day. s.The name of that cave" said she,
is Knowledge and the key is education.
Through many hardships We get there,
but there is certainly nothing more neces-
sary in the business world. There is a
great wedeing out process today, and it
is the man of education who remains. .
Education, she concluded, was the open
sesame to the social world and the world
of culture.
sTrifes" was the subject of an essay
by Florence Ethel Ballard, second honor
in the June class. She laid great stress
upon the Importance of trifies in life, "as
far reaching as they are neglected, and
cited numerous instances in the history OF
Rome where the day was won or lost by a
trifie. Robert Bruce and the Spider and
Incidents in the life of Napoleon,
whom "a trifie made and trifie un-
made. were also cited. and" concluded
she. when the Book of Life is closed
somebody will call attention to the facf
that the most interesting features Were
introduced by trifies.
Here the chorus came in with ''Vesper
ellis are Ringing and Miss M. ellie Swart,
first honor in the commencement witr
sIdeals.', All over the world,' said she.
ideals are taught. The little American
boy studies George Washington Char
acter distinguishes one man from another.
If d man has inherited bad traits from
hos ancestors then al his education must
point to evadicate them and If those traits
are good then all his education must point
to develop them. Hundreds have been
fixed by the stories of Washington or
ismarcx but they are as nothing when
compared with thousands fired by that
simple story Of the Nazarine Of the
Nazarine''
A cornet solo. .'The Holy City" came in
as a fitting benediction to this the last
pf the honor essays, except the vale
dictory, and it was plain to be seen in
the next speaker, Miss Mae E. Young,
that the Forensic contest had begun in
earnest. Dependence and Independ-
ence' was her subject, as casting her
eyes up toward the judges for inspira-
tion she began to prove that there was
no such thing as absolute independence
the independent an was dependent on
his brother for that very dependence
Ever since man began to think. " said
she his aspirations have been for in
dependence When man tries to live foI
himself Of by himself; he tries to DC