Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1902-07-03
SMYRNA COMMENCEMENT.
IL was Held Last Friday Evening
and was Very Pleasant
Largely Attended.

week, the excuse for which lay in
the fact that our school commence
ment exercises were on tap. Every
body-and by everybody we mean
everybody-was there, even those
more important members OF society,
the babies. AS individuals, as fam
lilies, rs "A community we rustled into
our best clothes and hiked over to
the church. Inside, the crowd was
packed close. Fortunately it was a
cool evening else, -. The gradu-
ating class was not large-one, two,
three-but the way they put up the
decorations would do credit To col
lege. The class colors, blue and
white were in robust evidence en-
wreathing the peristyle across the
church surmounted by an arch on
which was emblazoned the class mot
to, Onward and Upward, and the
year, 1902 Ferns, ported plants
anu ll0NNio N1l' III bao W
! ful profusion over all of which gilt
tering electric lights cast their vivid
CLEAN, and EMPOWERED among EN-
barassing floral wealth sat class and
teacher, the one Justly proud TO be
able to show to loving parents and
admiring friends that the school
DAYS of the past year were not vainly
spent, and the teachers pleased to
note appreciation of the result of
careful, patient instruction. And
all glad to find the hard-won va ca
ton already at hand. The program
! opened with the piano duet, "A
Message from Mars" beautifully
rendered by the Misses Cora Hop
POUCH and Marie Ashley. Andrew
Bignell followed with an essay on
Ambition" which contained some
good thought, in part as follows:
'Iu comparing those qualities which
are deemed most essential to perfect
or partial success in any career, il is
natural to ask which of these is the
most necessary element in COMPEL
ing that success. And, by compar-
ing these various qualities we are led
20 believe that the one dominating
all others and without which success
is impossible to obtain is ambition.
Ambition is unrest, not contented
with existing conditions it seeks to
better them. 1t is common trait
of character. All persons possess
ambition in greater or less degree,
although all may not desire to excel
in the same direction. In fact, am
bition may manifest itself i'm as many
different ways as there are persons
in community. IL urges the poor
est To effort for betterment and
incites the rich to seek for further
power or culture. Ambition impels
to excel Whenever we
read of great deeds or admire great
men we are then viewing the result
of ambitious hopes and wishes
brought through hard work to com
lplete or partial fulfillment. A
quartet composed Of Mrs. Decker
Hoppough, Miss Ella Bignell, Deck
er Hoppough and Homer Cook gave
an agreeable rendition of IT'S
Morn, with Miss Cora Hoppough
at the piano as accompanist, duty
which she most capably performed
throughout the evening. Miss
Blanche Beebe then gave her ideas
on "Grasping Opportunities" and
among which are found: at would
be safe to say that most people pass
through life failing to make com
plete success of it through their in
ability to perceive and grasp the OPP
portunities which are continually
offering than from any other one
reason. Opportunities do not al
ways wear roseate, sunset glow
to be seen from afar. They mostly
appear in such an every day, com.
monplace guise that they are not
recognized for what they are until it
is everlastingly too late. No matter
with what talent a person may be
naturally gifted, it will lie dormant
and of no benefit to mankind or its
possessor unless opportunity is taken
to give it development Some idly
loiter along life's highway waiting
for some fairy 10 toss the golden APP
pie of opportunity into their waiting
laps These ever complain of lack
Of appreciation. Others hesitate
not TO grasp the chance as it goes
fleeting by and mould it to their