The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1911-07-07

The following valedictory address
was spoken by Miss Sarah A. Men
ner at the High School Commence
ment exercises, Tuesday evening,
June 13:
"ORIGIN OF COMMENCEMENT"
"As surely as cash years brings June
and her flowers, which we all love, so
it brings the world over commence
ment and it's attendant festivities.
Although each spring we attend the
graduation exercises, perhaps many
of us have given little or no thought
to the origin of commencement or it's
signific..-ce. The word commence
ment did not originate from the fact
that the exercises were sometimes
held at the beginning instead of the
end of the school year, nor as many
people think because the graduates
having finished their school course,
are entering upon the course of life
to cope with its problems and diff
culties, but originated in the medic
val universities of continental
Europe. The degrees of Master and
Doctor are much older than the
bachelors degree, and in the first
universities were granted to those
students who had completed the
course which covered seven years,
and were consequently thought cap
able of instructing others. The
bachelor or student who had finished
the first three years of the course
was required to teach for a certain
period after receiving his bachelors
degree, as a part of his preparation
for his Masters degree and the
master instructor having completed
the seven years course, after gradu-
alton, was compelled to commence
and continue for fixed time to
teach publicly so that graduation or
the time for receiving the degrees
was therefore called commencement.
''At the first commencements the
recipients of the bachelors degree
incepted or taught, and those upon
whom higher degree was conferred
defended thesis. Since then, how
ever, the features of the exercises
have changed essentially. For in
stance, in one of the old universities,
each candidate for the degree besides
teaching was compelled to fog a boy
to prove to the faculty and the pub
lie that he was capable of governing
his scholars and worthy of receiving
the degree about to be conferred up
on him. At the University of Paris,
the first institution of it's kind, the
students instead of receiving gifts as
they do now, were forced to make
presents of sweetmeats, gloves and
even gowns to the members of the
faculty. Our faculty would, no doubt,
favor revival of this custom. At
another university in the sixteenth
century, at the commencement exer-
cises the student was given an open
book, from which he was to expound
one of the laws, biretta or cap was
placed upon his head and a ring upon
his finger after which the promoter,
the members of the faculty who con-
ferred the degrees, left the graduate
with a fond embrace, a benediction
and a kiss. The requirement that
all graduates should serve as teach
ers was gradually relaxed till teach
ing was made entirely optional and
commencement came to be as at
present, simply the occasion when
degrees of all grades were conferred.
''In the middle ages there were no
exercises of any kind at the end of
the grammar or high school course.
However, as American colleges and
universities sprang up, patterning
their graduation exercises after those
of the European universities, the
high schools soon began to observe
commencement, having exercises as
nearly as possible like those of the
colleges until at the present time
nearly every school which grants g
diploma has some form of commence
ment exercises.
In behalf of the Glass of 1911 it
is my privilege to extend a final
greeting. To you, our worthy prin-
cipal and members of the faculty,
we feel the deepest gratitude for the
many kindnesses you have shown us
during the past four years and hope
that you will forgive and forget all
our misdeeds and remember only the
good
Fellow Classmates, as | syllable
the word of severance which parts us
from our dear alma mater to enter
upon that broader life which awaits
us, let me point you, in the words of
Henry Van Dyke, to Foot-Paths of
Peace: "Be glad of life because il
gives you the chance to love and tc
work and to play and to look up at
the stars; be satisfied with your pos
sessions but not contented with your
self until you have made the best
of them, dispise nothing in the world
except falsehood and meanness and
fear nothing except cowardice; be
governed by your admiration rather
than by your disgusts, covet nothing
that Is your neighbor's except his
Kindness of heart and gentleness OF
manners, think seldom Of your enc
mics, often of your friends and every
day of Christ and spend as much time
as you can with to-day and with
spirit in Gods out-of-doors, these
are little, gentle posts on the foot
path of peace"