The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-06-02
COMMENCEMENT OF
THE HICH SCHOOL
lhlrty-tWo Graduates Receive
Their Diplomas
PROF. CARRIERS ADDRESS
Large Crowd Attends Twenty.flrst
Commencement of the School.
Diplomas Presented BY
Mr.. Drennen.

night at the Bljou theatre, was the ad.
dress by Prof Thomas Carter of Wander
Lille university at Nashville
Professor Carter took as the subject for
his address, "rhe Essence of Our Edu-
cational Ideals" He, as DR.. j. H. Phillips
said in his speech of Introduction, oeeu-
Tying as he does such an important place
in the education of the south, is in
position to know whereof he speaks. Pro-
fessor Carriers speech vas interrupted
several times with applause from the
large audience. His manner of speaking
was especially pleasing, and his forcefnl
words and noble ideas were appreciated
by his hearers.
The exercises were opened with a
song, Great and Marvellous Are Thy
Works, Lord" by the chorus of the Eu-
terpean club, which was followed by the
"Clang of the Forge The Aev. |. D.
Steele then delivered the invocation. After
the speech of Professor Carter, Miss
Norma Scholar and the girls chorus OF
the High school sang Ave Maria
Diplomas Presented.
In a bright witty speech, former Mayor
W. M. Drennen now president of the
Board of Education delivered the diplo-
mas to the thirty-two graduates. He ex-
pressed his displeasure at seeing on the
programme the words, mo flowers" lie
stated that he had heard several surmises
as to the cause of this. One that it was
the action of the bachelor element of
the Board of Education another that it
was one of the classical ideas of DR.. Phil.
lips, and still a third that II was one of
Mayor George B. Wards REFORMS Ills
motion that George B. Ward deliver the
diplomas and make a personal gift of
flowers to every member of the gradual
ing class of 1906. was unanimously car
ried by the audience.
The chorus then sang Sullvan's Lost
Chord" and after the benedietion mad
been pronounced by the Rev. w r. Hem
Dirk, the audience was dismissed
Professor Carriers Address.
In mis- address Professor Carter made
clear what educators were striving to ac-
complish especially here in the SOUTH
land His views showed careful study of
the question, and the ideas he advanced
were the results of deep investigation. The
necessity of education and its future place
in the making of the world was especially
emphasized
He spoke in his introduction as follows
AT the outset, my friends, l feel sure
that we are all agreed as to one phase
of the subject before us, namely, that we,
as people, have an educational ideal.
This ideal we have been slowly deyel-
oping through many generations. We
nave sought for IL; we have fought for
1t; we have prayed for 1t; we have paid
for it in coin, and sweat, and tears. and
blood We have ii as the result of all
this toll and arduous endeavor We ought
to have it. Yea, we ought to keep it
at all hazanrds. 1t is worth too mucn; 1t
has cost too much to be lightly esteemed
and cast away
1t is our birthright which we have re-
ceiyed from our fathers; 1t Is the most
precious heritage which we can bequeath
to our children.
l repeat it. The American people have
ideal--suted to their national life, adopt
ed to their conditions, contributive to the
maintenance Of the form of government
they have espoused-and this ideal tney
must constantly strive to realize.
Is proof needed for the existence of this
masterful ideal? Look at the lines of
facts presented by the history of our edu-
CaffOO1I bac httf 70 folya
in hand the successive reports of the De
partment of the Interior and in the tables
of statistics and summaries given there
he can read a romance more thrilling than
any wizard of fiction ever penned. l am
fully aware that figures are usually re-
'garded as deserts-veritable Saharas-that
mar the beauty and glory Of the con-
tinent of thought.
But true also is it that even the desert
may blossom as the rose and these bar
rem wastes of statistics do blossom when
we see them illumined by the great ideal
of national educational policy coexten-
sive with the entire population of our
great country, reaching into every high
way and byway, ramifying all through
the length and breadth. of the land, pierre
ing the forests, overlapping the rivers,
crossing the mountain ranges, ever more
advancing like the herald of a new evan
gel, on and on goes the spirit of our
educational ideal carrying it's message of
light and joy to the minds and hearts of
each successive generation Of freeborn
Americans
Assuredly our country has committed
herself by all the tokens of arduous labor
and constant effort to this great work.
Army of Students.
Look at the vast army of those in at
tendence on our schools and colleges.
During the session of 1920 counting
those in attendance on public and private
institutions, both general and special. we
get grand total of 1S,1Sz9ls.
This means that 2O.04 per cent of the
total population, of II per cent of the
youth of our land between the ages OF
5 and IS years found their way into some
one of the many vestibules leading to the
great temple Of learning. Some-by far
the larger portion-reached only the first
step of the outer stairway and had TO
stop at the rural grammar school; others
found the elimination of their education
al career In the city high school; still
others continued the upward march till
they reached the upper landing of the
small college, still others-very few COM
paratively-kept steadily on till their la
bors were crowned with honors from the
hands of the highest universities in tine
land