The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1900-06-19
Thirteen Young Ladies Received
Diplomas.
They Were Presented by
Mr.. w. H. Brownson.
Interesting Address by Prof.
George p. Phenix.

The graduating exercises OF the Port
land Trimming school, class of 1900, were
held in Assembly hall, High schoo
building, last evening, and were listened
TO by very appreciative audience. The
school board was represented by Mr..
Brownson and besides him on the plat
form were the principal of the school,
Miss Taylor, Prof, George p. Phenix,
Rev. A. r. Wright and the IS graduates
who were very daintily dressed in
whits. The junior members Of the school
marched in and occupied front seats in
Me auditorium, and the exercises began
by the singing of Where the Bee
Sucks" by q quartette composed of Mrs.
Palmer, Miss Rice, Mr.. Stockbridge and
Mr.. Merrill. Prayer was offered by Rev.
Mr.. Wright, after which Miss Rice gave
a splendid rendition of Ava Maria.
Mr.. Brownson then introduced Prof.
George p. Phenix, principal of the State
Normal Training school Of Willimantic,
Conn, who spoke most interestingly on
"what is Education
The keynote of Prof. Phenix' address
was found in the statement that the
educated man was he that best under
stood the art of living morally, intellec-
tually, physically and aesthetically con-
sioered. He compared the education in
the days of the "old red school house"
with that of the present day and urged
an introduction into the present sy stem
of some of that training which in earlier
days came from the farm. The old New
England farmer was more independent
than the man of wealth today, and his
boy received an industrial training, the
counterpart of which must now be sought
In manual schools, etc. He urged that
something more than Intellectual train
ing was nece ssary, the pupil must know
something of nature and man. We are
today witnessing a transformation, when
more attention is paid to the feelings. In
the kindergarten we recognize the child
as the most important agent in his own
development by successful stages to man
hood. Self-activity was an important
feature which was illustrated in the ad-
vantages which came from basket ball
over school of trained gymn lstics. A
higher estimate should be put on play, on
foot ball, base ball, ETC., for the school
of the future would bestow more atten-
tion to physical development. Prof.
Phenix thought in many instances too
much stress was laid on grammar,
arithmetic, etc to the exclusion of his
tory, literature and branches of science.
He noted that the masterpieces of litera
ture We're written before the science of
grammar, SO called, and referring to
mathmetics, quoted from Macaulay, who
said "that certainties lead to certainties,
but in the world at large, certainties lead
to improbabilities, and improbabilities
to improbabilities."
We need much less of a certain kind
of mental discipline, but more of the
harmonizing influence; the feelings
should be educated. Music, art and poetry
will find a more important place in the
curriculum of the future to our adyan-
tage in that this cultivation will afford
emotional resources for the enjoyment of
leisure which the use of improved ma
chinery in the industrial world is likely
to afford.
These are but few of the salient
points made by Prof. Phenix in his able
address of which lack of space forbids
further mention.
AT the conclusion of the address Mrs.
Palmer sang in brilliant style "a
May Morning." and the closing number
was 1.-The Lost Chord" by the quar-
tette, which won an encore, my Love is
Like a Red, Red Rose"
MIR. Brownson then awarded the diplo-
mas to the graduating class, saying: ut
is one of the largest and best that ever
left the school,
The following are the members of the
graduating class: Elsie L. Body, Alice
NJ. Calderwood, Ethel l.. Clifford, Annie
L. Cook, Josephine NJ. Cragin, Millicent
II. Leard, Lucy b. Leighton, Agnes s.
McFadden, Helen NJ. Norton, Grace NJ.
Printable, Emma b. Watts, Martha K.
Wilkinson, Luena f. Sands.
THE BOY WAS FOUND.