The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1906-06-29
new HIGH SCHOOL
OPENED ITS DOOR
Glasses Of January and June
Held Graduation Exercises
In 1t Last Night
BRILLIANT STAGE PICTURE
MISS GRACE POTTER. sALUTATo-
RIAN; MISS NJ. VIOLA MANNING,
yALEDICToRIAN, AND MISS
ROSE SERGE WINNER OF FOR
ENSIC MEDAL.

ENSIC MEDAL.
Nearly twenty-five hundred people
greeted the one hundred and one gradu-
ates of the Jersey City High School of
the classes of January and June, 1906, in
the auditorium of the splendid new build
ing at the top of the Newark Avenue
Hill. The building is not vet completed,
but will be ready for occupancy when the
next school term opens in September.
The auditorium was in readiness for last
night exercises and its beauty was only
eclipsed by the audience which filled it.
1t is said to be the finest school assembly
room in the State, and many people who
for the first time inspected the building
said it was a monument to Mayor Pagan
and Architect Rowland. Every facility
was offered those who received invita-
tions to attend the exercises. The
grounds have not yet been graded. but
an improyised driveway was provided for
those who took coaches and pictur-
esque plank walk with ballustrade for
those who walked up the hill to the build
ing.
With so many graduates it was impos-
sible for all to be seated on the stage,
and many occupied the front rows facing
the stage The stage and auditorium
presented brilliant spectacle. The
front of the stage was literally banked
with magnificent baskets and bouqu@s
of flowers, the hues of which shown out
more distinctly under the rays of the
electric footlights, which along with the
upper lights, the stage is equipped with.
Mayor Fagan, Superintendent of
Schools Henry Snyder, President Charles
D. Ridgway of the Board Of Education,
who distributed the diplomas; the Rev.
Henry G. Cronin, who addressed the
graduates; the Rev. Charles S. Wright,
who offered the invocation, and various
members of the Board of Education, and
several invited guests, occupied the
stage along with those who principally
figured upon the interesting programme.
An orchestra Of nearly a dozen pieces
furnished music between the essays and
addresses and the High School choir con-
Quoted by W. Patterson Atkinson, sang
numerous selections in a manner that
brought the members volleys of applause.
Their selections were Lees Bonnie
Dundee; Abt's Heather Bells; /;
s schultz's Joy of Spring" and Roeckers
"NigIlt."
Miss Grace E. Potter delivered the
salutary address, though Herbert E.
Preston, who read an essay. graduated
with equal rank.
Miss Potter's address was delivered in
very neat and graceful manner. She
paid a glowing tribute to Mayor agan,
the Board of Education, Superintendent
Snyder and Principal Hopkins, and OF
behalf of her class thanked them all for
the efforts they had put forward to edu-
cate the class. and she told how proud
the class was to be the first to hold its
commencement exercises in the new
building.
Jeanette q. Kalshoven read an inter-
esting essay on s'The Nations Charity. .
No printed description of trained journal
lists and novel writer's could exceed cer-
tain portions of her graphic description
of the recent San Francisco horror, and
her recital of the manner in which the
nation always rushes to the rescue of the
inhabitants of any of its stricken cities
was well worth hearing.
Herbert Z. Preston's thesis on "Ciyic
Pride" was considered by many in the
audience to be one of the best efforts of
any Of the graduates. The applause was
long and loud. He dealt principally
with the idea that every man should take
pride in the welfare of his community
from a patriotic standpoint Civic pride,
he said. was public spirit and moral en-
ergy. He iashed men VINO call themselves
citizens and yet don't even interest them
selves enough to go to the polls and vote
in the interests of the welfare of the
people.
The next essay was read by Miss Ma
bel Viola stangnatt- Her theme was
the Influence of Music She declared
that music was bound to influence char
acter. The effort was an exceedingly
clever one
"The Value Of Education" was the IL
tie of Miss Rose R. serge's essay. Miss
Serge With her thoughts 50 dramatically