Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1902-06-05
High School Commencement.

The Twelfth Annual High School
Commencement took place Thurs
day night, May 29th, in the Metho-
dist church. The seating capacity
of the church was crowded to it's
utmost, and many were turned
away.
The class had seven members, and
only one of these boy. As they
sat on the platform with their prin-
cipa1, Professor J. L. Conger, and
Mrs. Dena Statzell on either side
their eager faces showed that they
were glad the time had come when
they could say they had completed
for the new possibilities of the
and white, their chosen colors,
were only seen in rare places and
the class motto: I'D Astra per
Aspera," showed the aspirations
toward which they built but showed
they realized it was only gained
through work and energy and strife.
Miss Florence E. McAninch, the
daughter of Mr.. and Mrs. James f.
McAninch, was the first to step
to the front to deliyer her ora
ton, on "The Boer War" with an
energy and force of delivery that
fastened the various points upon
the memory of her audience, and
left decidedly favorable impress
sion. Her style of writing is strong
and forceful, yet balanced by an elo-
quence that makes it easily follow
ed by her hearers. She began with
brief history of that now famous
portion of the map of the world and
led her audience on through the
ever changing, growing people and
government to the time when it took
no prophetic vision to see that
war between them and England
would be the resultant of certain
demands made by the English.
From here she followed on to the
war itself aud told of the probable
outcome in manner that showed
deep and wide research along these
lines and she closed by telling the
probable result on the world at
large of the struggle.
katheryn Connrardy, daughter of
Mr.. and Mrs. J. B. Connrardy, took
Education as theme and in the
beginning showed how each branch
had been a growth and develop
nent to the exact science it now
holds. She then passed on to our
magnificent school system shown g
how we differ from other govcr n
ments in having no federal school
laws but left it to the states to each
wisely provide for the education of
its own citizens. From this she car
ried her subject through the embry-
ono stages of its growth and show
ed, too, how some of our larger in
stitutions of learning are kept up
and grow in strength and useful
ness. She took up the compulsory
educational idea and told of instan-
ces recently established in Germa-
ny and of the good results and
closed by showing how the present
generations ride in triumph on
smooth roads over the cobble stone
roads of the ancients.
Otto Borne, son of Mr.. and Mrs.
Louie Born, spoke on Choosing A
1 Profession" and compared the
difference in the boys of our land
in the various ideals he creates. He
believed that every boy lived in that
fanciful vision of the great west
where riches come tumbling into
his Golfers like rain and he becomes
rot only the hero but the savior of
the race. From the plains he devel-
ops later to higher grade and if
he be of the right sort finally tri-
umphs in the ideals of the litera-
ture as laid down by our masters
in literature. Then he went on to
show how if one would win he must
reach his aureal ideals through the
practical along lines for which ma
ture has fitted him and thus ulti
mately attain those qualities that
mark him for successful man o1
affairs in the world.
Lillian B. Dyer, daughter of Mr.
and Mrs. William Dyer, had as the
foundation of her oration Home
and dealt with it in comprehen
siye and intelligent manner. She
referred to it as the place where the
old spend their happy days and thu
one central object in which the
strong affections of youth are at
the sunshine of life builded or
ing at the shrine of love. Love fol
mother, sister or wife. In it may
not be the tokens of affluence, tht
/ gilded mouldings, the famous paint
; ings, the silken tapestry, the antiqu,
furnishings, for things may be poor
, and outof date but if frightened b,
the gladstone varnish of love it il
home. She contrasted the home o
neglect and squalor and discort
with one whose neatness, purit.
and accord existed and showed how
much stronger the latter would b,
and in conclusion declared fo
American homes as the best of al
Martha Bruner, daughter of MI
and Mrs. Riley Bruner, followe
next with "Trifles as her subject
She had planned her oration wei
and showed power and research i