River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1903-06-04
High School Commencement.

The 18th annual commencement
of the River Falls High school was
held at Opera Hall last Thursday
evening in presence of an interested
audience that filled the hall to re-
p1etion. The class of graduates of
1908 is the largest in the history of
the school, it consisting of twelve
members-nineb boys and three girls.
This disparity of the sexes in the
membership of the class is the re-
verse of that in most schools, as in
general the number of girl gradu-
ates is largely in excess of the boy
graduates. In respect to this eX-
ception to the general rule of a lar
ger number of girls than boys that
pursue the high school course to it's
conclusion it is pertinent to call at
tention to the fact that in the total
number of graduates from this high
school there are more boys than
girls. The whole number of gradu-
ates, including the class of this
year, is 95-52 boys and 43 girls.
The presentation of the program
of the exercises at this commence
ment was something out of the or
binary, for while each member of
the class had definite subject to
present he did not deliver the result
of his thought as an Grafton or dis
course, but rather as a coordinate
part of a dialogue. The plan as
determined upon and developed was
this: Miss Corcoran, a member of
the class, holds a reception in hon
or of her classmates after lapse of
twenty-five years from graduation
from the school. Those who had
been members of the class were
ushered in as they each arrived
from distant parts where choice or
circumstance had induced them to
locate in pursuit of their distinctive
vocations. Miss Corcoran did the
honors of hostess ii an easy, pleas
| ing manner and the guests were eX-
act in conforming to the convention
alities of society etiquette. After a
ceremonious greeting the converse
ton gradually drifted to a discus
sion of the specific themes assigned.
In response to inquiries each guest
stated briefly his views upon the
question he had had under conSid-
Grafton. Miss Corcoran, who had
devoted considerable time in the in
terva1 to the improvement of En-
g1ish in the Home by the formation
and management of women's clubs
| to forward this movement, gave the
results of these efforts; Leon Bar
| hey, who had his field of work in
| South America, told of the effects
of the Monroe Doctrine upon the
southern republics during the in
terval between 1908 and 1928; Rob-
ert Smiths theme was upon An
archy; Charles Elliott told what the
technical schools had done to adj
vance the science and art Of Agri-
culture; David Peterson gave the
improvements in City Fire Depart
ments; Frank Stirrat discussed the
Printing Press; Abbie Currier told
what had been accomplished by
Booker Washington; Agnes Ham
mond talked about the Mammoth
Cave; Isaac Bjerstedt gave the eff
fects Of the building of the Panama
Canal; Nile Carr recited the steps
in the Expansion of the United
States; Herman Elertson gave the
conditions resulting from inven-
tons and discoveries in their appli-
cation to Gable Telegraphy, and
Frank Schofeld explained the i'm
portant improvements made in the
processes of numbering.
The graduates handled their sub
iects with discretion and made them
very interesting to all. The music
al features of the occasion were
all very good, the piano solo by
Robert Smith being especially COM
mended. Prof. Ames addressed
the class with words of praise for
their fidelity to duty and reminded
the graduates that their future life
would be what they should choose
to make it and F. M. White in be-
half of the School Board presented
the diplomas.
HATS,