Arizona republican., 1909-05-29
CLOSING
 EXERCISES Phoenix Public Schools End
 the Years Work .E|GRTY.SEVEh GRADUATES A Large Class of Talented Young People Fitted For New Work in the Higher Institutions of Learning.
H|GHTY-sEVEN GRADUATES

| Ine closing exercises CT the HnOenl> public schools were held in the Elks theater last night, that large auditori- um being filled to its capacity by the relatives and friends of the school chil- | dren. The admission was by ticket and necessarily so, for the school chil- dren of Phoenix now number a multi tude and their friends are legion, SC they were permitted to name the audi | ence themselves by the use of tickets up to the limit of the house. Fortu- nately it was a cool day for this season of the year and though the house was | full it was not uncomfortably warm. The theater was tastefully decorated with pepper boughs oleander flowers and a wreath of bouquets was banked along the footlights by the admiring friends of the young people. Across the rear of the stage was suspended the class motto, Perseverance Con- quers." The rose is the class flower and was the prevailing flower in the decorations, while the class colors, car dinal and white. were in evidence. The eighth grade graduates are in two classes, the mid- year and the spring term, forty two in the former and for ty-five in the latter The eighty seven pupils made a gorgeous array of talent on the stage, Professor Still we'll, the superintendent of schools, sitting at the left of the long rows of young people. Marietta Norton has the honor to be the valedictorian of the mid-year class and Kathleen Irwin is the valedictorian of the spring term class. While the salutatory and vale dictory addresses common to gradua- ton exercises were omitted, those who wear the honor of the offices appeared in reading numbers that were excel lent.
 Good judgment was shown in the ar engagement of the program. The classes are now far too large for many of their members to participate in the program except in the choruses. where all can join, hence the program was limited to a comparatively few num- bers that could be listened to without wearinesS, whatever the manner of de- livery. And of the latter 1t may be truthfully said that it was such that it would not have wearied had the program been much longer The par ticipants showed excellent training at the hands of their teachers and for the most part the readings were without manuscript and in excellent style. The articulation was wonderfully clear for inexperienced platform speakers, the memorizing was incomparably good and in most instances the gestures and emphasis were impressive and well ex- ecuted. Following is the program given:
 "voices Of the Woods" (Meloiv in Girls Chorus
 Invocation .......-.......
 Rev. Henry Martyr Campbell Reading-"S "Stavoren" ................-
 Marietta Norton
 Reading-"As the Moon Rose" ......
 Kathleen Irwin
 Drift My Bark. Kuecken
 Girls Semi-Chorus
 Reading "Meriky's Conversion .....
 Edith Feel Glass Prophecy .....................
 Elizabeth Toohev
 Reading-"The Contest in the Arena"
 Albert Pitts Piano Duet-"Carnival de Venice. ............... Melnotte Maude Ta-lor and Marietta Norton Presentation of Diplomas .... "The Arabs Ride" .......... .LennoX
 Mixed Chorus
 Rev. H. NJ. Campbell Miss Esther Wright. Pianist. In the presentation of diplomas Pro- lessor Jensen appeared with the rolled 1 parchments in a basket and called the l names as the presentation was made | by Superintendent Stilwell. At the | of that feature the superin tendent delivered a decidedly pleasing | talk, partly to the children and partly | to their elders, who are equally as in | terested in the school work. To the | he spoke encouragingly of the | progress they have made and of the | interest with which he has watched | them as their young minds were devel- Oping. In concluding he impressed the old precept to honor their fathers and | mothers and to abide by their direc- tions as long as they are under their influence. Then, speaking rather to