Waterbury evening Democrat., 1907-06-19
IVY GRAFTON. James E. Mcknight.

otOuC III Oui ohoit JouiASJ tAiouoh r life has been passed. For the first time, perhaps, we are brought face to face with the fact that the busy world awaits us and expects us to do our best. As we stand at the crossroads we hesitate and look back. Behind us are our boyhood and girlhood days, the pleasant scenes, the loving com of the past, our school asso- citations that must now be severed. Amidst these tender reflections the spirit of our better selves claims ut terance and in our hearts the desire is uppermost to perpetuate the mem ory of these happy days, gone all too soon.
 Prompted by this generous feeling and keeping before us the custom of other classes, we shall to-day plant our ivy. It is a little thing in itself, but in the symbolic nature of the act there is world of meaning. The ivy has history that is lost in the ages of the past, it has crowned the heads of heroes, emperors and kings, it decked the brows of poets, paint CTS and warriors in the long ago; it encircles the worlds old ruins and its leaves cover the tomb of earth s mightiest men; hoary with the tradi- tions of the past, it appeals to us to- day with all it's rich sentiment and romance. The ivy is beautiful plant, it grows in every soil, in every cline; it sinks its roots deeply into the ground and draws forth susten- ance to nourish it's beautiful verdant leaves, it rises higher and higher, spreads out its arms ever wider and wider and finds support wherever it can;. it protects that to which it clings; it enfolds the mighty oak and when the latter is struck down by the hurricane or some mighty thun- derbolt from Heaven, or falls into de- cay under it's weight of years, the ivy covers the ruin with beautiful man. tie and stands as a guardian over it. How beautiful is this wonderful fore sight of nature and what lesson in it teaches. The traveller in distant lands meditates on the glories of the past; he stands amid the deso- late ruins of long ago and filled with emotion he must needs exclaim: The boast of heraldry, the pomp of
 power,
 And all that glory, all that wealth
 e'er gave,
 Await alike the inevitable hour.
 The paths of glory lead but to the
 grave.
 In sadness he is about to turn away, when his heart is cheered at the sight of the masses of beautiful green which cling to vault and niche and falle pillar. It is the radiant foliage ot the ivy which he sees but for whose protecting arms naught of the ruins but crumbling dust would remain. In his joy he exclaims with the poet:
 While ages have fled and their work
 decayed,
 And nations have scatterd been, But the stout old ivy shall never
 fade.
 From it's hale and hearty green The brave old plant in its lonely days
 Shall fatten upon the past, For the stateliest building man can
 raise
 Is the ivy's food at last,
 Creeping on where time has been,
 A rare old plant is the ivy green.
 What beautiful lessons may we not learn from the study of the character istics of this little plant which we shall set out to-day. We shall place it beside the ives of other classes near the foundations of the dear old school that has watched over us for the last four years. And in the course of time, when nature shall have given 1t sufficient strength, it will entwine it's tendrils with those of its companions, and with them will mount those old familiar walls. us to love one another, keep ing alive old memories, encouraging us by serving to recall the high hopes and ambitions that fill our hearts to- day. Just as with each succeeding year, it mounts higher and higher, ever reaching upward, should We, as time wears on, look bravely into the future, conducting ourselves honor ably and righteously and always re- our duties toward God, whom we should love and revere, whenever the many deceits and temp tations of this turbid world are likely to make us forgetful.
 This little sprig of ivy will in a short time branch out on all sides. and these new shoots will in time and extend outward until In the course of few years they will attract the eye with their ver- iant loveliness. But should they grow even till they covered all crea- ton they must always obtain their from the parent stalk. which Is in the shape of a little seed- ling we are to plant to-day. In like manner shall We when we scatter af- ter to-day, to shoulder our burden and to begin the long and tedious ,tIueBie ot iIle, iediH thdb OuI iutuIe success in life can only come from the precepts taught us in school. regardless of where We go. pr what walk of life we elect to en- ter. With the same wonderful perse- Ferance and tenacity with which the Ivy clings to the object 1t seeks for support. whether it be lofty tree, or stately edifice. or ruined pile, may we under all conditions always cling to 1ur purpose until the.end in view has been attained. And just as the ivy in ts enveloping mantle often protects rom the rayages of time the ruin of 'ome noble and historic work of the past may we, when we have grown old and feeble after years of