The Corvallis times. (Corvallis, Or.) 1888-1909, 1902-06-21
GRADUATING DAY
And the Things That Took Place
A Memnrah1es Occasion. =.

| F." S0hSoOdy was SleaNtdo Neel
at the college. It was day OF
peace and beauty. Nature did
Everything possible to add to the
scenes in which 81 graduates were
added to the world.
! The exercises were in the Arnory,
and began at 10 a m. They ended
before noon. The programme was
1superb. It had for, star features
an eloquent and excellent address
to the class by DR. Wise, rabbi at
the Jewish synagogue at Portland,
and several vocal selections by
Mrs Walter Reed, the well known
Portland vocalist. These with
other features made the occasion
one ofthe most agreeable of the
kind that has been seen at the col
1ege.
Twelve hundred or 1900 people
were in the audience. Many were
visitors from abroad, Of whom there
is apparently an increasing number
each year. Among others present
were many farmers and their fam
lies from the surrounding county
homes.
Inside the Armory the air was
redo1ent with the perfume of flow
ers. A long table near the stage
was laden with bouquets for the
graduating class. Through the
open windows came the songs of
birds in adjoining woods. Pink
hung from the ceiling
and evergreens here and there. with
potted plants and ferns about the
stage lent beauty to the scene.
The programme opened with the
invocation by DR. Thompson, whose
familiar figure on the stage was
welcome sight to his many Cor
wallis friends. A vocal number by /
the St Cecilia Club followed and
then Miss Gertrude Ewing, salu-
tatorian, gave an Grafton entitled,
"The Unifcation of the Anglo
Saxon Race. She idea1ized Ce-
I'll Rhodes and his work in South +
Africa as the beginning of a move
ment for unifcation of the English
speaking people. Ultimately, she
said. the two hemispheres would
tap their eymbals in common
union In the course of his ad-
1ress DR. Wise took occasion to diff
fer with Miss Ewing's view and de-
,1ared Cecil Rhodes to have been
4 monumental failure He sub
apologized to the young
Iady, who explained that she had
changed her mind with reference
to Rhodes after the Grafton was
written.
John E Smith of ,Rolk county,
was ya1edictorian. His subject
vas "The Gospel Of Discoptent.o .
The young man is Socialist. He
said nothing can remain stationary.
and discomfort is the
of all change. Discon-F
ent with existing conditions or
Methods had always been the. cause
If invention, /. discovery and the
,volution of society in its rise and
development. The fall of every
lation was traceable to a cause,
nd while in minor respects these
auses differ, the ultimate reason
or national sdecadenee was con
entration of wealth in the hands
# the few.
That concentration is now going on
n this country and it is danger
us. Men must rise to arrest it,
nd to raise the level OF humanity.
"A double vocal number by Mrs
iced followed the valedictory. The
ppearance of the singer on the
tage oceasioned burst of ap-
1anse. Few singers have power
D charm her hearers as does Mrs
iced. Few voices SO delight those s
Tho listen. At the close Of her
econd number she was called back
nd she responded graciously with :
song that delighted all. e
S A number net less pleasingto all
han Mrs Reeds singing, was the J,
effort of DR. Wise. The d
eputation of DR. Wise as a platform s
oeaker had preceded him, and much 3
as expected. None who heard,
ere disappointed. Deep original 8
fought, superb delivery, fine :
resence, a magnificent voice, beau-
fl1 dfction, = all these are at the
onmand of DIR Wise. His theme !
as Vision : He meant he said E E
vision, the faculty of seeing the D
oa1 and then directing effort to ii
tain it. He might fail, obstacles a a
light appear, but with the mark +
ept steadily in view the traveller s. s.
ou1d at last attain it. The ques- f.
Oh of whether or not our nation fl
-, 80 -. IL to