The Norfolk weekly news-journal. (Norfolk, Neb.) 1900-19??, 1909-06-04
rwer,v.Nrs, commencement.


circle upon a simple but tastefully dec.
Grated stage, with the Auditorium
filled with friends, relatives and well
wishers, with a beautiful statue OF
Minerva on the stage as n gift of the
class OF 1909 to the high school, the
twenty-first annual commencement OF
the Norfolk high school was as full OF
interest and on as high plane as
any OF the exercises which have
marked the departure out Of the school
room into college or the world of Nor
folk graduating classes for exactly
twenty years.
The Circle OF Graduates.
The circle OF graduates as the Au.
ditorium curtain assembled with the
class OF 1909 seated upon the stage
presented the always attractive pic
ture of youth, ambition and energy as
typified in the twelve young ladies and
the seven young men who had stood
by their school colors as one by one
their class had thinned out, The fact
that the class of 1909 left the high
school with a record in scholarship
was referred to by Superintendent F.
M. Hunter.
Seated on the stage with the grad
yates and completing the semi-circle
on the left were Mr.. Hunter, Governor
Shallenberger and A. II. Viele, pres
ident of the Norfolk board of educa-
tion.
The decorations, which were very
simple, but decidedly effective, were
in red and green, the class colors.
The junior colors were also In evil
dence, members of the class of 1910,
according to past custom, occupying
the theater boxes as the guests of hon
or By virtue Of the commencement
exercises the members of this class
became seniors.
The young ladies In the graduating
class without exception were taste
fully gowned in white. All carried
roses.
The Program.
Lowell Erskine opened the COM
mencement program, rendering pi-
ano solo, "The Evening Star" (Wag-
ner-Liszt). The three musical solos
men in the class and the three num-
.bers, singly and together, reflected de-
cided credit upon the musical talent
of the class Mr.. Erskine proved a
very capable musician.
Invocation was offered by DR.. G. W..
Ray, pastor of the First Methodist
church.
A piano solo, 'Grande Polka de Con-
cert" (Bartlett), difficult number,
was exceptionally we'll given by Lloyd
Pasewalk.
The Salutatory.
The evenings greetings was deliv-
cred by Miss Hattie Adams, who had
the class honor of delivering the salu-
tatory. Miss Adams extended hear
ty welcome to the exercises and gave
something of review of the school
years which were closing. On behalf
of the class she thanked Norfolk for
the educational advantages it had
given the class and voiced the appre-
citation felt for the new high school
building and the chance it gave for
better school work. Miss Adams has
a clear and pleasing delivery.
A Gift to the High School.
At this point in the program Lowell
Erskine, on behalf of the graduates,
unveiled beautiful statue of Minerva,
the Greek goddess of wisdom, of war,
of the arts and sciences, and of spin
ming and weaving. The gift was pur-
chased with the proceeds realized
from the class day exercises and was
formally presented to the high school
by the departing class. Mr.. Erskine,
concluding the serious part of the
presentation address, said that the
statue of Minerva had been selected
because that was the patron goddess
of the class of 1909. which, he said,
was the wisest class which had grad.
uated, as the records showed, the most
warlike in keeping the underclassmen
suppressed, besides meriting the kind
ly regard of the goddess of spinning
and weaving by spinning tales during
study periods and of weaving together
excuses for unexplained absences.
The statue was accepted on behalf
of the school by City Superintendent
F. M. Hunter. Mr.. Hunter expressed
appreciation both for the gift and for
the work of the class during the past
year. He said that there we're two
views held regarding education,
friends of the old classical education
believing that the purpose of an edu.
cation was to give culture, to teach
one how to live the holders of the
modern view believing that the pur.
pose of education was to teach one
how to make living. Mr.. Hunter
7thought that both ends could be OBJ.
tanned and that culture could still be
attained in an education which fitted
the students to better earn a living
He said that the statue was typical OF
this idea, in that Minerva was the
goddess of wisdom, but also the god
dess of spinning and weaving and the
patron of agriculture.
The vaIedictory.
Miss Helen Lobdell honor student