Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1900-05-26
1ST COMMENCEMENT
A Proud Event for the Public
Schools and the City Of
Santa Fe.

Schools and the City of
Santa Ee,
IAN ADDRESS BY Mr.. CATRON
The Diplomas Presented to the Graduates
By Jacob Weltmer, President of the
Board of Education Music By an
Orchestra.
The high school commencement exer-
| cises took place at the court house last
| night. No true citizen could have look
| ed in upon that scene without expert
| encing a thrill of pride and genuine sat
| isfaction over this unquestioned proof
| of the splendid progress Santa Fe has
made during the past year in the line
of popular education. The stage setting
| was beautiful, with it's festoons and ro-
| settles of light blue and gold, the class
colors, a mass of flowers, and every
| where smiling faces. The audience was
by far the finest ever assembled here
| on any similar occasion. 1t showed the
| interest school work has aroused in the
| hearts of the people of Santa Fee. SUI
| perintendent j. A. Wood and Professor
| Marsh sat 1t either side of the stage,
| and between them were seated the
| graduating class. Back of them was
| the piano, Miss Schormoyer presiding,
| and grouped there We're members OF the
| orchestra, composed of Mr.. and Mrs. w.
r, Griffin, Miss Massie and Messrs. J.
l.. and Arthur Seligman, n a little
| further back President Jacob Weltmer,
of the school board; Hon. T. B. Catron
( and Rev. E. l.. Eustis occupied seats
The latter pronounced the invocation
The program was interspersed with ex-
cellent music by the orchestra and by 6
quartet consisting of Mr.. and Mrs. AL
len McCord, Miss Blanchard and Mr
Johnson. The graduates n the sub
iect of their orations were: Miss Mary
NJ. Dixson, 1.-The New PATRIOTISM;
George V. Howard, prominent Edu'
cators;' Morris Thomas. Demands Of
the Twentieth Century," Ray b. HI
venburg, Monuments" owen L. Wood
Territorial Growth of Our Country
Ably presented We're these several well
chosen subjects; indeed, all acquitted
themselves in a manner highly crafty
ing to their parents, teachers ant
friends. In a short address Presiden
Weltmer, with unfeigned and justl!
pardonable pride, handed the graduate
neatly engraved diplomas amidst {
burst of applause.
MR.. CATRON'S ADDRESS.
Professor Wood then called upon Mr.
Catron, who delivered an extempor'
address thai was enthusiastically ap
plauded. He spoke Of his w schoo
experiences, of commencement day, ant
admitted that when at school he WASH
the best boy on earth, and aid III
thought most men, when looking Owe
their lives and school work, wished
feryently that it were possible for then
to go back and begin anew, takin.
back their knowledge and experience 0
later years and making a fuller use o
their opportunities for acquiring learn
ing-if that were possible WbatTa com
mencement that would be! Many anec
dotes of school life were related, an
healthy morals drawn therefrom. H
~admonished the graduates to learn
think; to concentrate their though
dissect and analyze their subject. ]
was well to bear in mind what Napo
leon said-that his mind "a like a bu
reau, containing man, drawers; h
could draw out one and use it's content
while keeping all others closed. Ambl
I ton, courage, persistency OF effort an
deep and careful thought were neces
sary to win success in the every-da
life of the world.
!, w. Fl. Fl. Davis, in n of his book
on New Mexico, has stated that tt
first school law in the territory wa
passed in 1855, but the speaker ha
failed to find any record of it on til
statutes. The first public school la
was enacted in 1872, and it constitute
the basis of the present school law
serving an admirable purpose, crude
it was. Since that time no region
any country in the world had mac
such educational progress as Ne
Mexico. The brain of the people an
their capacity for higher training he
been plainly shown by the rapidity wit
which the percentage Of illiteracy M
been cut down in New Mexico in con
paratively a few years. Addressing tt
ladies, the speaker declared his bell
that the time Is fast approaching whe
the fair sex will take their place sit
by side with the sterner sex in affai
of government; when the best educate
and refined women will lend their SUI
port to purifying the ballot and keepir
it pure. This brought forth a burst
applause. Education, he said, raises II
people up. 1t makes men and womt
a free and thinking people. 1t inspir
love of country, brings power al
strength and brings men nearer to Il
Great Eternal. In this day and al
education is everything. The found
ton of the greatness of the nation, Il
very harmony Of it's beauty, it's who
structure, lies in and rests upon Il
public schools. and so long as tn
stands as a fact the starry banner W
never go down.
THE WARD SCHOOLS.
Closing exercises took place at each
the four ward schools yesterday afte
noon and were witnessed by from rs
$50 parents and friends Of the pupil
The programs were thoroughly up-t'
date interesting and were received wit
many plaudits by the visitors.
The exercises at the Kindergarte
occurred yesterday forenoon when
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