Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-06-12
HIGH SCHOOL SEN.
TORS ARE GIVEN THEIR
DIPLOMAS.
PROFESSOR WILCOX
DELIVERS THE ADDRESS
Audience, Which Filled the odeon, Saw
the Annual Commencement Exercises
Professor Wilcox Delivers Sound,
Common Sense Argument on the Es-
sential Things Of Education.

for a senior class, were graduated from
the Marshalltown high school with
simple service at the Odeon theater
Friday night. An audience which
practically filled the play house, saw
the young people finish their school
work and receive their diplomas, and
heard Prof. w. c. Wilcox, of the State
University of Iowa, deliver the COM
mencement address on the subject of
What is an Education in Iowa in
19O09?"
Draped about the balcony rail, the
front or the stage, and the
boxes were small pennants of the class
colors, old gold and maroon.
Girls and Boys Sing.
The commencement program was
opened by prayer delivered by Rev.
William Pence James. The girls glee
club of the high school sang double
number, Welcome, Pretty Primrose
and Dry Your Eyes, Ma Honey"
After Mr.. Wilcox had finished speak
ing, the number "'1O," the insignia of
the juniors, Illuminated with electric
lery of the stage. The musical pro-
gram ended with a double number.
Back Mid the Clover and the Corn"
and The Sailors Dream which the
boys glee club sang.
Diplomas Are Presented.
Principal j. c. Nelson presented the
class to Superintendent Palmer as
ready for graduation, and Mr.. Palmer,
in turn, presented the young people to
President T. l. WATSON, of the school
board, who, after short address, pre-
sented the diplomas.
Professor Wilcox answered the aues-
ton of his subject in an address of
forty-fiye minutes which contained
much sound, common sense advice. He
opened his subject by telling what an
education was not, and what many
people thought it was, and to round out
his argument told what some of the
essential things of education were.
Professor Wilcox is a quiet, slow
and deliberate speaker, with smooth
and we'll modulated voice. His address
was in part as follows:
The Essence of Education.
AN education depends upon three
things. First it must depend upon the
kind. The education necessary for 1909
is greatly different from the education
of 100 or 200 years ago. The ideals of
an education in Iowa will have
changed more in the next 100 years
than in the last century. Education is
the education of now, not of yesterday,
nor of tomorrow.
Second, education depends on To-
:Nv, Of
the education for Iowa. Third. educa-
ton must be adapted to the individual.
Kind. locality and after all, being suit
ed for the individual, those are the es-
sentials of an education.
Things Education is Not
Here are some of the things which
education is not. The idea is growing
that education is denoted by degrees.
Our college students are getting the
notion of piing up degrees, and if the
student gets enough of those he i'm
AGNES he has an education. Degrees
may be nothing more than the label on
an empty bottle.
There is another common notion
which is erroneous, that an education
is training, and that training can be
substituted for education Dogs, mon
trained, but are they educated? Train
ing is all right, and highly to be de-
sired, but you must remember that
your daughter or son may be highly
trained, and still not be educated.
Education Not Social Pretense.
, Education is not the social pretense
| of knowing more than you really do.
Our high schools, our colleges, and the
ha of hot \
with that pretense-the pretense of
knowing when you do not know
Education is not the use of incom-
D prehensible words, altho many believe
4 that it is. Education is not pride in an
} cestors. No man ought to be more
proud of his ancestors than they
would be of him if they could see him
No man has any more ancestors than
< another. 1 would sooner be the son
: of an ignorant washerwoman, il she
were woman of the right kind, than
the son Of any fool woman who ever
1uttered fan in society.
"What is an Edueation?"
5 What is an education then? will
S pass over all the things on which we
r disagree, and mention only a few
: things on which we agree, and or
Il IAN education means physical health
II and systematic physical training 1t i
a a part of the course of every college o
n any size and of many high schools
: Physical training does not mean t.
= produce immense, bullying muscles /
D means the ability to keep free iron
vice, from liquor, from drugs 1t mean
good red blood, good air and goo
health.
Education means not necessaril,
re Greek, Latin, French, German or Span
IS ish. One thing that we have got t
have is good English. Any person VIII
can not read, write, or speak the Eng
lish language correctly is not educated
III Education means the ability to g
l. out into the world and make an homes
at living. 1t means some regular vocatio
l. in life. BY that do not mean no,
earning living especially. mean som
ce regular service rendered for society.
I'd THE dangerous man Is the man {
Ill wealth who has nothing regular to d
but kill time. The worst individual q
ne the graduating class is he who come
e. out of school and falls back upon SC
to ciety dead weight.
a. Right Ideas Of Marriage.
h Education means right ideas abo,
marriage. Young men and wome