The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1905-06-22

and his audience, which was well acQuaint-
ed with his literary ability, was not disap-
pointed in the poem, which was well de-
livered.
THE CLASS POEM
To morrow when the rising sun shall light
Places we cannot clearly see Tonight,
And Ger the earth its cheering radiance
shed,
Disclosing to us paths we used to tread,
Paths that divide, divide tonight ana here;
Then, may each take his burden without
fear.
But when the last farewell to all We say,
And from the others, each has turned
away
Then deep in every breast will grief arise
And show in broken voice, or misty eyes.
But life insipid were, without its pain,
And soon would drag like some oft play
ed refrain,
So why the parting stay; It's for the best,
Although old memories stir within the
breast;
Through knowledge's vale, and shared its
pleasant shade
How distant seemed this hour of parting
then!
How far away the lives and work of men,
But now we see before our watching eyes
The past grow dim, the future clearer rise
Here at the parting of the roads we stand.
Dclolo tlo ocFcIlllS VI luc IuySLlC DdQu
That till tonight has bound US as whole
That ever struggled has, toward this its
goal.
But, if in strife for honor or renown
We see some friend of old, pushed,
wounded, down,
Then may the memory of more pleasant
days
When we together roamed through
Cause US to turn, and leave our own grim
strife,
That we may brighter make classmates
life.
G. WILBER LANE
The class essay, by Miss Beulah Phil
brook, was a logical and forceful argument
in favor of High school education and her
clear ard distinct delivery added much to
the emphasis of the part
THE VALUE OF A HIGH SCHOOL EDUCA-
TION.
1t is an unfortunate fact that many of
our young people do not go through the
High school. Fifteen percent of those who
graduate from the Grammar school do NOT
enter the High school at all, and fifty per =.
cent, one-haf of those who enter, do not
graduate. Why is Ihi>? Is the High school
at fault? The lengthy rectatonS of the
freshman Year may tend to discourage
some, and there are a few whose circum-
stances will not permit them to go; but the
average young person does not appreciate
the value OF a High school training. He
thinks it is more manly tu Get to work and
earn his own living, and many parents en-
courage this idea. Certainly independence
is Il virtue, and if one Is TO consider the
present or even look ahead year OF two, ii
is to be granted that there Is more bread
and butter to be mad in some shop OF store;
but there Is a difference between existing
and living. "LifeIS more than meat, and the
body than raiment. Look ahead ten or
twenty wears and see who gets the bread
and butter then. Other things being equal
the High school graduate is lifted to cont
mand a larger salary than the person with
less education.
But this is not the only argument for the
High school. Four years companIuaship
with classmates affords recol!ections which
can be formed IN no other way,-memOries
that time cannot erase. These We shall
have as our treasures in future years. The
association with books and teachers leads
us into richer, fuller life, and enables US
to appreciate the true value of education.
If | were going to scrub on my hands and
knees, or saw wood | should want to know
about the common things with which |
come in contact daily. We have only one
life to live Why not live it to the best of
our ability, and not drudge out our days in
ignorance of the beauties and wonders that
exist all around us?
who slide through High school; but to
those who make the most Of it, everything
in this great world has a new meaning, and
speaks 'of that thread of the all sustaining
beauty that runs through all and doth all
unite Even that insignificant rock that
punctures our bicycle tire has a lesson, 1t
reminds us of that age when on, od earth
was a Seethng, toamlng mass OF molten
matter, and we trace it through the trans
formations and mighty upheavals that left ii
in its present place and condition. or, that
ugly bit may once have flashed as a meteor.
AS World-fragment it darted through
space. 1t became entangled in our atmOS-
phere. Drawn with ever increasing speed
by gravity, glowing, flashing, melting, with
a thnd and a hiss it struck.
Even the old thistle out behind the barn
has lesson. Mr.. Huxley says, "G.ve any
tyrO nettle and a microscope and he will
see the facts for himself but can he? 1t
takes more than microscope to enable one
to understand the beauty and significance
OF that life so closely allied to our own. He
will see only the needle-like points, which
will appear worse than than the barbs on d
fence, and he will jump.
The drop of water on blade of grass.
1t looks small, but it is an ocean of wonders,
whole world III itself, and governed by un-
changing laws. Globular in form because
of that mysterious force of cohesion, it is
held in its position Oh the leaf by that
equally wonderful power of adhesion. So
IlidTNtIOuS Is ltS substance tDdt III may tp-
pear next winter in some Star-like crystal,
or III future ago, may enter into the
brilliant structure Of the diamond, the
delicate tissue of a flower petal, or some
minute portion of it may even find itself
aiding in the transmission and refraction of
light in the crystalline lense of the human
eye.
The High school is Il portal in lifeS great
arena through which we get Il glimpse
of the past ages of the classics, the wonder
full towers of mathematics, the grand
avenues of literature, and the mammoth
cave of science, sparkling with the bright
gems OF discovery and invention.
But life is more than an encyclopedia
Little recks it, how much one knows about
the universe if he doesn't know himself
Michael Farraday, a poor, unknown boy,
washed bottles in the laboratory of Sir
Humphry Davy. When this great man of
science was asked to give list of his dis
coveries, he carefully traced the history of
those successful researches which made
him the first chemist of his day, then
significantly added, "But the greatest dis
covery OF my life was the discovery of
Michael Farraday." In every young life
are powers, latent, undiscovered, perhaps
| unsuSpected. Many young person knows
neither the world nor himself, nor what he
wants to do, without the revelation of the
High school course. 1t is the duty of every
one to 'play the Columbus to his own SOUL,
and the High school is the ship upon which
to embark for this purpose.
We are building the editiCe of character.