Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1902-06-07
SCHOOL LIFE ENDS
Class of 1902 is the Largest in
History of Rock Island
Institution.
EXERCISES AT ILLINOIS THEATRE
Pleasing Program is Carried Out
Before Large Audi
ence.

The class of 1902, the largest that
has ever been sent out into the world
by the Rock Island high school. grad
uated with commencement exercises
last evening at the Illinois theatre.
1t was the first affair of the kind
ever held in the new theatre and the
enlarged seating capacity afforded
room for a larger audience proba bly,
than ever before witnessed high
school graduating exercises in this
city. All the seats were taken and a
ndmber stood. The program passed
off without a single untOward incl
dent, which speaks volumes for the
careful attention to the prepare tons
ON the part of the principal and
teachers of the high school and of
the efficiency of the members of the
class.
Simplicity is the cardinal rule of
the public schools and il was rigidly
adhered to in the exercises of last
evening. Superfluities were elimin-
ated and yet the exercises were rem
dered all the more pleasing. The
decorations consisted of single
American flag draped upon the drop
curtain. a suspended shield done in
class cOlors, orange and black. and
bearing upon its face "R. |. Ii. =, o.
and draPings in the class colors at
the front of the stage. The only
flowers were a single bouquet of
roses upon the stand used by Prin-
ciPaI j. +. Darby as master of cerc-
monies. and the sprays some of the
young ladies brought with them. Il
rule against presents of flowers for
the graduates being enforced.
Class In SemI-CircIe.
The program was opened with an
overture by Bleuer's orchestra, at
the conclusion of which the curtain
rose and revealed the class seated in
a double row arranged in a semi-cir-
Gle upon the stage. The flutter of in
terest in the audience was hushed as
Rev. T. J. Shuey, pastor of the Mem
OTial Christian church, came forward
and offered prayer. Then Principal
Darby addressed the assemblage
briefly to- say that the class of 'O2,
consisting of 81 members, was the
largest that ever graduated from the
local high school. OF the graduates
so had completed the regular /
years course and the others had
taken postgraduate courses. The
class of A last year was the largest
of Former years. Mr.. Darby also eX-
planned the method of choosing the
performers from the members, as
surfing his hearers that there was an
abundance of other good material
and that the program might have
been made much longer without inn
pairing its excellence. In conclusion
he introduced Emil Hansen, who de-
livered the salutatory.
Mr.. Hansen acquitted himself with
great credit. After welcoming the
audience in behalf of the class he
launched into description of the
Utopia toward which the world is
tending and for which the years of
training he and his classmates had
received in the city schools had been
preparing them.
Domestic science In school.
The number following was an essay
by Miss Catherine Regina Ferry upon
d subject of particular local interest
in view of the extension of the high
school course that is being planned
upon the occupation of the new build
ing next fall, Domestic Science in
the Public High School" Miss Ferry
spoke as follows:
The greatness of a nation depends
upon the intelligence and ability of
the men and women who constitute
it. Their development depends in a
large degree upon their educational
institutions. OF the pupils attending
high school only a very small per
cent ever enter college, so that the
responsibility of training these pu-
pills for citizenship devolves in a
large measure upon the public
schools, hence it follows the high
school has come to be known as the
peoples college"
The public high school of today is
the outgrowth of the district school
of third of a century ago. To meet
ever-increasing popular needs the
courses of study have been gradually
enlarged. Along the lines of higher
culture especially. great extension has
been made. In our high school today
the pupil NAV become fair student
in Latin, German, French and Greek;
he may become familiar with the his
tory of other nations as well as with
that o his own; he may devote four
rears TO the study of the English
language and literature; he may
study art and music; he may become
proficient in mathematics, book
keeping and stenography and gain
fair knowledge of physics, chemistry,
biology. the science of government
and political economy.
Two Types of Pupils.
We have in our school two types of
pupils-the intellectual and the mo-
tor. The latter type learns from
doing rather than from the text book.
This class of pupils takes little in
terest in boolvork but finds great
pleasure in laboratory work or
manual training. Hitherto the high