Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1906-05-31
COMMENCEMENT.
Webster High School Closed
with Usual Ceremony.

Win Usual SSAChohys
The regular annual commencement
of the Webster high school was held
last Friday evening, May 25, in the
opera house.
The hall was festooned with bunt-
ing and the stage was beautifully
decorated with white and gold, the
class colors. On the curtain in large
letters were the words Coward and
Upward" the class motto. The stage
was banked with flowers hastily
arranged about semi circle, reaching
from the high school piano on the
right around the back of the stage to
the foot lights on the left. The foot
lights were Swallowed in clumps Of
blooming ilacs. The scene was indeed
a very pretty one.
The graduating class consisted of five,
Misses Ethel Siglinger, Belle Hanse,
Joyce Hetley, and Rhenhart Nordness
and Jacob Wickre.
The evening program opened with a
vocal duet by Misses Edith Ross and
Ethel Derrick, followed by invocation
by Rev. j. s. Hardness, this followed
by solo by Miss Alley. g. w. Nash,
president of the Northern Normal and
Industrial school of Aberdeen, made
the address of the evening. Mr.. Nash
first gave brief history of the early
schools in South Dakota and stated
under what great difficulties the school
system in this state had been worked
the present form. He dealt upon
the fundamental principles and aims
of an education. He held that an edu-
cation should teach the student first
and above all an abiding faith in God,
second to be loyal to the state, third il
should bring about strong affection
for home and tender respect for father
and mother, and lastly it should create
in one a just appreciation for self and
his obligation to his associates and com.
panions. The four points were taken
up separately and elaborated upon to
some extent. The speaker then turned
his thoughts to the need of an education
as help in the struggle for existence
and in this he used statistics to show
the per cent of offices and places of
trust that are entrusted to high school
graduates and to the unlettered. His
entire address was a strong and steady
appeal to the hearers to support the
schools, to encourage them in every
way, for in them lies the hope of the
nation, the state, the church, the home,
culture and all that stands for the best.
President Nash's address was followed
by a beautiful! vocal selection rendered
by Miss Alley, after which Superintend-
ent Thompson made short address and
presented the diplomas. Mr.. Thomp-
sons address consisted of two parts.
The first directed to the patrons of the
schools in which he pointed out the
principle reasons for cooperation of
parents and teachers. Asked for closer
attention to the conduct of their child
rem at home and on the staeets He
emphasized strongly the point that
teachers had the pupils SIX hours in the
day and unless they were carefully
guarded the other Is little of perma-
nent good could be hoped to be instilled
in their hearts. The second part of his
address was an admonition to the grad
uating class, the chief points he empha-
sized in this was that the class would
find this world not all sunshine but one
of struggle for existence and that the
mission of each was to work hard, live
nobly, be honest and pure and have an
abiding faith in the Power above.
The benediction was pronounced by
Rev. Halfstad.