New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-06-18
THE SWEET GIRL
GRADUATE
BY ELLA HUTCHINSON ELLWANGER

she must 90 10 get INTO PARADISE
"My good woman said he, paradise IS
not for old women"
The good woman began to weep; but the
Prophet consoled her by saying, There will
be no old women, because they all will be-
come young again.
And so this month Of June when you
gather, with other friends and relations, to
hear the sweet girl and the dear boy read
their ESSAYS, there will be no old women
present: or old men, for the matter OF that
they will all be young again in the presence
Of youth. Oh. Youth. Youth!
Your own essay, long laid aside with your
following sheGpSkin, probably had for its
title. Beyond the Alps Lies Italy Do YOU
smile now to think that YOU have indeed
crossed the Alps after years OF struggle:
Pray, then. tell us if the country sought with
much climbing was any better than the
peaceful valley on this side? Or did YOU
faltcr and grow weary carly, and, with slow
and half reluctant steps and one SorroWtul
glance toward the summit where your am
billions lay, retrace your steps and settle in
the Valley Of Discomfort?
And YOU with Your whitening locks may
smile also TO remember that the tancy-lincd
paper, lying with your diploma at the bot
| tom OF an old trunk in the attic, along with
your confirmation certificate, bore in curl
ously boyish handwriting the startling
words, "The Salvation Of Our Country.
Since that time innumcrablc boys sixty,
fifty, forty. and thirty years young-have
saved their country in the same way. Were
all twenty tonight.
We're twenty. We're twenty. who says we
are more
Take him out. the young jackanapcs. show
him the door
We don't care a rap tonight if the Young
man does stare stolidly at his shoes as if he
never saw them before, or fixes his eyes on
the moding on the ceiling. He is all right
or ne means 10 be. And whether the sweet
girl graduate sings. or rccitcs. or reads us
from a carefully prepared essay. tied with
wards and yards of white ribbon. and wears
a beWitching, fluffy costume. and has a
trcmulous little catch in her voice. We be-
licvc al We hear We don't hear very much:
but We know its all right. We know tina,
she is telling us in the clcvercst way she can
what she intends TO DO with ifc,-how il
should be lived to make the soul beautiful
and the world better
May she never have cause to confess she
has falcd-God bless hcrl May her ideals.
planted high enough now, be reached bv her
slender young hands May she forever en-
shrine her innocence May she guard it -
for It's wonders will not last, For new Voc
and fresh wisdom will lay their stamp upon
her brow, and the former music of her iovous
| laugh may conceal dirgc
We are forgetting our past failures. our
false hopes, and those old dreams that have
SomcWay come too late. We are all Young
again, and life is bright with hope. and Sue
cess is lust over there Il is 50 close that we
| have only TO put out our hands. with the
veins showing palmer than awhile back, To
| close upon that subtle thing called Success
Time has turned back the hands Of life's
clock some stecn years and We are blushing
and smiling, albeit a trilc pale, and smelling
our roses TO hide the confusion of the tumul
tuouS applause
We stumble out OF the hall. full of people
laughing and talking. with something more
than moisture in our eyes We are thinking
We should give much To look out at the world
again with such fearless glanccs and such
faith. Ah, that's it! Faith. the best Elixir
OF Life yet discovered TO feel again that
fear and disappointment and despair are
foes yet to be met and conquered,
Long life's lovely thing to know
AL Ia l., Il.