Arizona republican., 1909-05-27
BANQUET A FEATURE OF
COMMENCEMENT EXERCISES
NUMBER OF ToAsTs RESPONDED
TO BY LOCAL TALENT-A
THREE-coURsE DINNER.
Superintendent of Public Instruction
Kirk 7. Moore Compared Arizo-
Ha's Past and Present

Aside from the address given by
Governor r. z. Sloan to the gradual
ing class of the Union high school on
Tuesday evening, the banquet was the
next important feature of the evening.
The dining room of the Alhambra
was splendidly decorated with a very
| liberal amount of cut flowers and
greenage The tables, two in num-
Der, one of them extending the length
of the room, while the other occupied
position in the wing of the main
room. The menu included three
course dinner served in an elaborate
manner
The guests Of the evening were the
governor. private secretary to the gov
ernor... Mrs. J. F.. Cleveland. Professor
and Mrs. A B. Matthews and Terri
torial Superintendent of Public In
struction Kirk T. Moore. Professor
John d. Lopez acted as POSTMASTER.
The following toasts were responded
to: THE Salt River Valley Bridge" E.
W. Wilbur; THE Mesa Union High
School," George w. Silverthorn;
Mesa as a Summer Resort" Rev. c.
Sidney Maddox; Education" Leroy
c. Snow; Past, Present and Future
of the Salt River Valley" A. c. Nc
Queen; Highways of Arizona" Rev.
A. L. Hawley; Arizona" Governor r.
E. Sloan; THE Ladies'" ]. F. Cleave
land.
Those present at the banquet. other
than the guests already mentioned,
were: Mr.. and Mrs. George Silver
thorn, Mr.. and Mrs. J. G. Spangler,
Mr. and Mrs. ]. L. Waring, Mr.. and
Mrs. A. c. Mcqueen, Mr.. and Mrs. L.
w Stilwell, DIR. and Mrs. ]. z. Drane
Jr.; Rev and Mrs. c. Sidney Maddox,
DR. and Mrs E. w. Wilbur, Mr.. and
Mrs. o. S. Stapley, Mr.. and Mrs. Joe
Clark, Mr.. and Mrs. L. R. Gibbons.
Rev and Mrs. A. L. Hawley, Mr.. and
Mrs. A. A Jones, Mr. and Mrs. C S.
Steward, DR. and Mrs. r. Palmer, Mr..
and Mrs. Louis Palmer, Mr.. and Mrs.
William Newell, Mr.. and Mrs. w. K.
Bowen, the Misses Henrietta Irwin,
Mamie Stilwell, Gertrude Hansen, Nora
Smith, and Messrs. Cecil Drew, c. H.
Van Antwerp. Donald Mcqueen. c. c.
Manning and Vincent Jones.
The program rendered at the high
school auditorium preceding the ban
quet was one of the best heard in
! Mesa for some time. The regular pro-
gram was carried out, as previously
announced, with the exception of an
address by Kirk T. Moore, superin-
tendent of public instruction. Mr..
Moore's address had principally to do
with the earlier period of education in
the territory from which he was able
to strike a dissimilarity with that of
today However. he paid a glowing
tribute to the early pioneers of educa-
ton in the territory. He pictured some
of the obstacles overcome at the time
of erection of the first public school
building at Tucson. when the timber
was hauled from old Fort Grant,
distance of one hundred miles. He
also told of how the necessary funds
were raised. not through taxes. but by
the giving Of dances. in order to raise
money with which To erect the school
buildings However. according to Mr..
Moore, the old order changed in 1880.
until we have practically the same
system as that existing today. In
closing. Mr. Moore made the unquali-
fled statement which bears more sig
nificance than can be easily under
stood at once. and that is. That l am
free to say I have examined and OBJ
served the school systems throughout
a considerable number of the eastern
states, and | have found that no bet
ter system of education exists in any
of them than in Arizona.
The governors address was a fin
ished article on American citizenship
and the value of liberty, inasmuch as
it permits of the shaping of intended
destiny. The influence of literature
was a point dwelt upon for consider
able portion of the address