The Lexington intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1901-1949, 1903-05-30
The Public Schools Commencement.
CoNelnded ~ ~ Pagt.

diplomas to the graduates elsewhere
named. After a brief address to the
graduating class, Professor Phillips
also presented certificates OF promo
ton from the grades to next years
freshman high school class. The
stage in front Of the graduates was
covered with flowers, the gifts Of
friends,
No abridgement a at all do justice
to DR.. Hughes brilliant address on
the "Dimensions Of Life" The
following outline may serve to fix in
the memory of these who heard it the
salient features:
Herbert Spencer, in his monograph
on Education, " one Of the greatest de-
Gyerances on the subject, declared that
it is the function OF education to fit for
complete living. That definition istat
once felicitous and comprehensive.
Education is not an end in itself-lt is
a means to an end. 1t looks beyond
itself to life as its ultimate purpose.
But in order that education may serve
Its high purpose, its possessor must
have adequate conceptions of life. We
may approach the subject in many
ways, but for this occasion, we will DIS.
cuss what may be termed: "The Di-
mensions of Life.n This will suggest
to us the means Of measurement or val
uation.
The first dimension of life, the COM
mon measurement, is length We esti-
mate lite in days, weeks, months and
years. We carve this measurement up
on our tombs.
But reflection will disclose the fact
that that this method is not and cannot
be sufficient to set forth the real values
of life. Time does not give significance
to life-but life gives value to time.
This is seen N the means used for "tell-
ing" time. The savage with a power
ty-stricken life, is content to measure
time with fhe procession Of the seasons,
the flight of birds, the waxing and
waning of the "moons,' the coming or
gong Of suns. Later, as life advances,
and life becomes fuller and richer, it is
cut up into smaller fragments by means
OF the clepsydra, or water, the sun dial
or the hour-glass. But in tines days
such crude measurements will not suf-
fee. Life is crowded and we want
something finer yet to measure that o.
which life, in one sense, is composed,
So today we have astronomical clock:
and chronometers. The modern mar
frequently carries q watch that will
split seconds. We may we'll believe
that Methusaleh would have had llttlt
use for such an instrument. AS value
grow we are more careful Of our stan
dards. We are willing to weigh hay o
grain or coal on Fairbanks scale, Blu
we do not use such instruments in buy
ing and selling gold-dust and diamonds
Thus it will be seen that we mus
make a distinction between duratlo
and quality OF life, Duration may Civ
us e~xistence-but quality gives a gent
inc significance to life.
So then we are obliged to seek fc
another dimension of life. We wi
find it in what we may term Its breadtI
A straight line is not life's true symb,
1t must have BREATH as well as hag1
And we are saved from narrowness ar
become broad men In two ways
knowledge and by love and sympath
But beyond these dimensions of lif
there is one more to be added. Ii
should have length and breadth. B
these are not suihelent. Inc long Il
may be mean and narrow, the bro
life may be thin; SO to the two dime
sions we add another-height. ii
gives us life as a cube. When scieu
gives us a definition Of man, telling
that be is a ''featherleSs plantIgrade,
ped mammal Of the genus homo"
can file no bill Of exceptions. But m
is something more than this. A zool'
ieal definition does not exhaust the 81
iect. Nan lifts his face towards
heavens and worships. He never RI
to such heights as when be fcllowsh
with God. The high life is the laI