Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1909-05-28
High School Boys and Girls
Gel Their SheepskinS
ADDRESS BY MARK SMITH
Conveyed Sound Advice to
the Twenty-Seven Gradu-
ates of This Year---Verna
Young is Valedictorian and
Thos. Higley Salutatorian.

AT the commencement exercises OF
the Phoenix high school last night al
the Elks' theater twenty-seven young
women and men responded as their
names were called out by President O.
II. Christy of the school board, and
came forward to receive their diplomas
which signify that they have credit
ably completed the four years course
and are now eligible to matriculation
in the higher institutions of learning.
A little round of applause followed
the calling out of each name Some
times 1t was from one part of the
packed house and then from another
wherever the friends and relatives of
the fair or sturdy graduate happened
TO be. Fifteen of them were girls, all
dressed in the dainty white which has
come to be the color for commence
ment days all over the world.
The stage was occupied by the grad
ating class, the choruses and the
speakers of the evening When the
time came for the distribution of di-
plomas Professor Stabler brought out
the small table with its pyramid of
sheepskins and placed it in the center
VI NuE SNaSts lllt
one by one to President Christy who,
in turn, called off the names and pre-
sented each member of the class of
1909 with the certificate which repre-
sents just so-mGeh algebra, so much
Latin and all the rest of il.
The theater was decorated with rows
Of cut flowers from which pepper
boughs were draped. The whole front
of the stage was lined with baskets
and huge bouquets of flowers tied with
satin ribbons for presentation to the
different graduates by their friends
and admirers. Across the drop curtain
at the rear of the stage Was pinned
the class motto, Amino Opibusque
Parati.'
The valedictory was given by Vinna
May Young and the salutatory by
Thomas Henson Higley. The address
of the evening was delivered by Hon.
Marcus Aurelius Smith, for many years
Arizona's delegate to congress-.
The subject of the valedictorian was
'Beujamin Franklin" Miss Young's
delivery was clear and pleasing. She
spoke without notes. She said there
are few, if any, who have reached so
high a place in the country's history in
statecraft, journalism, mechanics and
education at the same time as BenJa-
min Franklin. She spoke of the early
life of Franklin, OF his journey to
Philadelphia and of his gradual rise
in the political world till he became
minister to Engand. In particular,
Miss Young dwelt on Franklin's devel-
opment of an educational system for
the public schools. 1T would be diff
cult indeed" she said, ''to mention
anyone who has more emphatically in
fluenced the educational system of this
country than Benjamin Franklin"
Then, in behalf of the class Of 1909,
she thanked the teachers of the high
school and the board of trustees for
what they have done for the members
of that class.
The subject of the salutatory. deliv
cred by Thomas H. Higley was Aerial
Navigation" He gave a brief history
of the work of the pioneers in this
branch of science and spoke particu-
larly of the Zeppelin ship and others
and Of the latest and most successful
flights of the Wright brothers. He
closed with the prediction that air
ships would become as popular as au-
tomObiles if the cost of an airship
could be reduced to a reasonable fig
ure At any rate, aerial navigation,
he said, is a thing of the immediate
future.
Professor Stabler then introduced
Hon. Mark Smith. The former dele
gate spoke exclusively to the gradu-
ating class. In a general way his talk
was a plea for manhood in the young
men and a patience and cheerfulness
for the young women.
He said that the girls did not re-
quire as much advice as the boys, and
the larger part of his address was for
the male portion of the class. 1t was
interspersed with humor and anecdotes.
Some of his remarks were epigramatic
in character. Have an opinion" he
said, "and a decided opinion. Be a
democrat if you want to, but for the
Lords sake know why you are demo-
crat"
He urged the class to patriotism, to
study and love the country in which
they were born. But don't get bonn
bastic about it" And here came IN
one of his choice stories.
While trying to explain to an OBJ
tuse Englishman where America was
and just how big a country it was, an
Am: :erican once said, 1t is bounded on
the east by eternal chaos; on the north
by the aurora bOrealis; on the west
by the procession of the equinoXes,
and on the south by the day of judg-
ment.' Another American, on his first