The Penn's Grove record., 1909-06-11
COMMENCEMENT Essays.
History of The Class Of 1909
WILLIAM W. SuMMERILL

| all ~nationalities in this country on a COM
| mon level and amalgamates them into a
united. homogeneous citizenship for the
| continuance of a united and everlasting
republic.
A noted writer once said that IN order
| to have a scholar you must begin with
/ the ancestors. Of course you all know
the beginning was Adam, some say the
| monkey, but 1 do not care to be classed
in the monkey tribe.
1t is necessary to 60 back so far. l
| will only endeavor to give a brief sketch
| of our class from the first year High
| School.
Our class is the second to graduate
| since the High School was put OH the ap-
proved list. Because one half of us are
| Kidds by mann and nickname we are a
| class of kidds. We average only 10 years
| and 10 months in age and are the young
| est class that ever graduated from this
| high school. Our class is two years be-
low the normal age for the twelfth
| grade in the United States, which is Is
years.
Originally this class was composed OF
| over twenty pupils and in the first year
| high school only eight remained. That
| year we went thru the annals of the
| United States. The entire class studied
| Botany for which we all had a very fond
liking. Most of the class passed at mid
| winter and those who did not had the
blues.
We also studied in civics how to run
| the government. We trained our mind
on the language of the ancient Romans;
besides OH six other subjects in English.
In the second year We regularly
scratched, added, multiplied, divided,
carried, balanced and s~ubtractedin book
keeping. In going thru our General His
tory we came to where Luther was taken
to a national assembly at Worms called
the Diet of Worms. A question was
asked. The pupil promptly rose and
answered. @" suppose he was put on
a diet of worms" That pupil needed
| vermifuge.
In the third year the class was reduced
to seven on account OF a boy dropping
out, and to six in the fourth year. Last
| year the class divided, three taking the
commercial and four taking the classical
| course. We begun to read and speak
| German.
In the Physics class we perceived how
quickly pupils learn to squirt water in
their faces by learning the principles OF
the pump, also how to make lightning
and run engines, two essential things to
know when we get old enough to get the
automobile fever.
In studying English Literature we read
how Caesar, whom we conquered, was
assassinated by the honorable Brutus. II
obtaining a vile were as easy as Shakes
peare got one for Bassanio by choosing
caskets, a great many would be relieved
from an embarrassing position.
The same year some learned to write
short and others translated the stump
| speeches which Cicero made to Roman
mobs. This year the classical pupils had
something solid in the line of geometry,
while the commercial pupils learned how
to beat off the south wind on the type
writer. We also learned this year that
Washington discovered America in 1892
and Columbus crossed the Delaware in
1776. United States History is our speci-
atty. Some know it so well that they
can answer every question with surpris-
ing qulckness.
Chemistry is more dangerous. In ex-
p%erimenting n day we had to taste
something we made. One thought he
would be more generous and help himself.
He suddenly made a distorted face ran to
the window. There he spit and spit
and spit again, then he ran to the spigot,
rinsed his mouth and spit a few more
times We did not venture to taste any,
more. This might seem like fun to some,
but those who tried it found it different.
Something else happened in class that
was more disastrous. As we were gener-
ating gas, one of us lit it. Suddenly there
came a loud report. The stopper flew
out and broke some glass tubing. Thus
we learned how water is made from hy-
drogen and oxyden. the opposite of how
our brilliant gas lights are made from
| water.
One day the school was startled by the
fire alarm and all marched out in per.
feet order, as we have been taught to do
SO well by frequent practice to c
the disastrous co~nflagration and catas-
trope which has been SO injurious in some
other schools. Finding it a practice
alarm we marched back to the labratory
and discovered the real fire burning. 1t
was a rag. One of us took the dangerous
article and laid it in the sink where it was
extinguished. After this exciting affair
the class faithfully continued their stud
les and while performing an experiment
one of the scientists upset a lighted al
cohol lamp. The liquid flowed over the
table and in a moment it had caught ON
fire. The class was certainly scared.
The lamp was put in tile sink and a glass
jar was put over it. The rest of the al
cohoi quietly burned out and everything
went along quietly and peacefully.
1t is not all play and humorous Incl
dents are few. There is hard digging,
especially in the fourth year when you
expect to graduate.
1t may be profitable to explain that the
four year High School course is. AS but
few citizens have ever had the advantage
of it, many do not see the need, PENIS
Grove was put on the approved list of
acloola with q four x,aor, oo.,ro ~