Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1906-06-22
THE AUDITORIUM CROWDED.
Principal Occasion Of Commencement
Week Last Evening, When Mr.. DeBoer's
Address Was Delivered.

An audience which crowded the Au-
ditorium assembled last evening to wit
ness the graduating exercises. The class
motto worked in the class colors was sus-
pended over the stage. while in front was
a bank OF laurel foliage studded with
water lilies, the class flower. At the north
end Of the stage was a bank OF ferns with
the letters B. H. s., and at the south
end were similar decorations with the
figures '06 Hon. Joseph A. De Boer of
Montpelier, president of the National
Life Insurance company, delivered the
address, the substance of which is given
in this paper. 1t was a clean-cut address,
delivered in a delightful way, and IT APP
pealed with much force to the audience
and to the graduates, teachers and school
board seated on the platform. The music
by the high school chorus, under the d.
rection of Miss Emma Gregg, was partic-
ularly pleasing and reflected a high stand
ard of work in this department Of school
training. The presentation Of the class
to the school board by Principal Edgar
Burr Smith and the comforting OF di-
plomas by Leroy F. Adams were done in
felicitous but dignified way and add
ed much to the interest OF the occasion.
The program in detail was as follows:
Overture, Franz Schubert" Suppe, by
Leitsinger's orchestra; singing of Car
nival Festival and Away to the Fields"
Wilson, by the chorus; invocation, Rev.
E. Q. s. Osgood; "Slumber Song" Lohr
by semi-chorus; address by Hon. Jo-
seph A. De Boer, who was introduced by
Hon. ]. L. Martin; THE Two Grenadiers, I"
Schumann, by the chorus; presentation
OF the class to the board, Edgar Burr
Smith; comforting OF diplomas, Leroy F.
Adams; singing of the class song, words
by Paul Sumner Emerson, to the tune Of
Elton Boating Song; benediction; march,
Prince Ananias," Herbert, by the or
chestra.
Several members of the graduating
class are making preparations to enter
college. They are: Harold E. washburn,
Dartmouth; Frank A. Snow, st. Law
renee university; Clarence II. Thurber,
Colgate; Paul S. Emerson, Norwich
Fred H. Harris, Worcester Polytechnic
institute; William II. Haigh, Amherst
Smith; r. Ethel Vose, Middlebury; Har-
riet E. Barrows, Berkeley School of
Domestic Science.
Mr.. De Boer addressed the class upon
the subject of THE Personal Factor in
| Chance" developing the advice that,
while chance or fortune has it's place in
| deciding the nature of the individual ca :
reer, it is yet true thar the personal factor,
the self equation, finally and truly dom
mates every human life and determines
Its place and usefulness in the world He
argued that true happiness and true use
fulness are born within and of the indi-
vidual, as are also honors and constructive
| capacities Of every description, and that
| friends, associations, opportunity and
chance can only contribute to their crea-
ton and development Man must make
/ his own way, gain his own proper place.
| and earn his bread by the sweat OF his
own brow and not OF some others, and II
/ by trick or wit he has them from an
| other and not through personal endeavor,
/ he will miss what men call happiness and
| success. IL is not the size or extent of
his performance which makes his success
/ but the quality and the truth in his per-
Torrance. The man who makes a good
| shoe and the man who builds an enduring
| bridge are equally successful the differ
| ence being one of degree, and that differ
| ence Of degree is measured by his reputa
/ ton or world-immortality as II is set up
in the memory of his work. crystallized
by newspapers. magazines, books or even
/ word of mouth.
| Four cardinal precepts for the use OF
men and women were next developed
/ First, health, because that is essential tc
the doing of work; next character, be-
| cause that is essential to maintaining
position; then, a strong desire to achieve
because that promotes ambition and
/ serious effort and finally, a true capacity
/ for performance to insure success in the
competitive contests which the real world
supplies in every calling in life. After
fully simplifying and illustrating these
| precepts, the speaker concluded with the
following direct address TO the members
Of the graduating class;
1T has been your great privilege L
obtain the elements Of your education II
a town and state OF New England whose
noble acts of as good and highly devel-