The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-06-03
CUNNINGHAM ID
 BESSENER CLASS Final Exercises Held at High
 School DIPLOMAS ARE AWARDED Former Governor Is Appiauded for His Witty and Appropriate Speech. General News of Interest
 in Bessemer
DIPLOMAS ARE AWARDED

| public schools took place tonight at the High school. Both floors of the audi torium were packed with a happy, per spring audience that thoroughly en- joyed everything that was done.
 The class papers were brilliant, witty and graceful. Each showed careful prep aration and was enthusiastically received. The valedictory of Miss Virginia Mitch ell was particularly good. She chose to instruct her class on Success" She pictured the true and false success and bade them always be ready to lend a helping hand to others. The style was polished and the delivery easy. Miss Mitchell was heartily applauded. The hit of the evening was the class song, writ ten by Miss Inez Lopez, to the tune of My Dream of the U. S. Az The song was a goodbye to the faculty of the High school and the peculiarity of each mem Der was brought forth.
 feature that brought much applause was the musical numbers. The solos by Misses Jones, Cahll and Bissell were very enjoyable. Miss Jones has fiex ible voice of much power and expression. The duet by Misses Foster and Mitchell was very pretty, the voices of the two young ladies blending nicely. The chorus by the class was well done. The class has a number of fine voices, who will be among the future musicians of Besse- mer.
 | pr. R. M. Cunningham of Birmingham delivered the graduating address to the class. He was brilliant and witty. Dr. Cunningham's s address in part was as fol- lows:
 What is success? It is the achieve ment Of ones ambition. It may be a wife which is a good success, or it may be husband which is great success. Wealth, power and fame are generally looked upon as a measure of success. Tn a sense it is true and in sense it is not. Success is that achiement which is to be rather than to seem to be. Success in word is happiness.
 'Wealth does not bring happiness, nor does power. The only time in my life when 1 had power was when l was gov ernor, and l give you my word that was never so unhappy in my life as when the power of life and death rested in my hands With power there comes respon- sibiity and often unhappiness. Fame does not bring happiness. There are different kinds of fame. For instance, the most famous men in the United States today are Jeffries and Johnson. Theo- | dore Roosevelt also has had some noto- riety. The personal equation measures success. If we are happy and maks others happy we are successful. | .In the problem of education we must | consider the elemental principles. There are not many absolutely Fundamental basic principles in anything In the great organic and inorganic world there are hui two. In human life there are but | tvo-inheritance and environment. There is a difference in the individual potency of each person. Some are born With greater brains than others, just as some are born with greater feet ana smaller noses But all babies have the same material with which to work. The mind Of baby is as a blank sheet Of paper, ana if remains for them to write.
 "All have the same power of reception, retention and elaboration. There are two forces in the life of child, mind and education. The measure of the mind IS the capacity for education. What one knows is a result of education. Not only | the mind differs, but the opportunities | for education change also. .The principles of inheritance change You can take a blow horse and without | changing a drop of blood produce racer | in few generations by giving hlm the environment of race horse. It IS the same way in the vegetable world So in the human race by giving the savage the environment of civilization civilized heinz is produced. You can evolve more intrinsic potency in the posterity.
 .srhe three 'R's' are merely the primary steps in education, but l believe that II q. voung man could write and read in teliigently he would be fitted to grapple with the battles of life. All he would need would be found in books. Mind l am rot opposed to a classical language; I haven't got one. l wish l had, but l unhesitatingly reiterate my statement that if one can read 'intelligently' he would by reading soon come to know what he would need.
 "What would he study? Study the laws of nature that govern the world, the laws that govern your bodies. Study the moral | laws of God every one should have moral code These laws are fixed and eternal and are not fixed by partisan llegislature controlled by hostile influence. | pr. Cunningham closed his address by l to procure husbands. He stated that he | was in favor of womans rights and paid | q high tribute to the fair sex. The diplomas were presented by Dr. E. | P. Lacey, the president of the board of | educa tion with few words of advice to the class The class song was sung and the most successful year in the history of the Ressemer public schools closed. | The programme of the exercises tonight was as follows:
 Invocation. Rev. l. F. Swallow. Chorus, Happy Days are Gliding" | CEmi Pflock)-Senor class. | Sslutatory, MT. Octavius Spencer. Vocal solo, Meet Me Tonight in Dream land" (Friedman)-Miss Jones.
 Valedictory, Miss Virginia Mitchell
 Vocal solo, Aria, "Oh Robert, Oh My Beloved" (Meyerbeer)-Miss Cahill.
 Introductory address, Supt. A. A. Per- sons.
 Address, to the graduating class, Dr. R. M. Cunningham.
 Vocal solo, "rhe Mission of a Rose,' | (Cowan)-Miss Bissell.
 Voca, Duet, "I Would That My Love-"
 CMendelssohn)-Ms Ida Belle Foster and Miss Virginia Mitchell.
 Awarding diplomas, pr. E. P. Lacey, president board of education.
 Class song, Miss Inez Lopez, senior class.
 Penediction, Rev M. K. Thorton
 Accom- panist Miss Dora Winters
 Class motto, "To Be Rather Than to
 Seem."
 The young ladies were the recipients
 of many beautiful floral tributes from
 their admiring friends.