The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1913-06-12
COMMENCEMENT WEEK
Continued from page one)

rev ). u OsOorne. A chorus OF well
trained voices under the direction of
Prof. R. w. Leighton sang, Don Nor
rison played violin solos, and Miss
Edith Lewis presided at the organ.
Quantities of greenery were massed at
the altar and streamers of blue and
white, the class colors, were much in
evidence.
Rev. Wilson's sermon to the gradu-
ating class was exceedingly interest
ing and while addressed to the stu
dents, it was filled with good thoughts
for all present His subject was The
Christian Graduate, his text being
taken from Matthew 6;10. He spoke
in part as follows
All of your past life has been a
preparation for your present and your
future life The many experiences
which you have had since first you
looked up into your mothers face,
some pleasant and some unpleasant,
some invigorating and some deblita-
ting, some beneficial and some nocu-
Gus, all these experiences have been
preparatory to the new experiences
which await you as you graduate from
High School and commence upon an
other period of life. Broadly speak
ing we may divide life into three
great periods-the period of adjust
ment, the period of development and
the period of achievement. The
lines cannot be sharply drawn because
while one is adjusting himself to his
surroundings he is also developing
and achieving But the chief occu-
patton of the infant is to adapt himself
to conditions as he finds them in his
home and in his immediate environ
ment. AS his environment changes
with his advancing years he must
necessarily continue to adjust himself
to the new conditions. But never can
it be true of any person except the
infant that his chief occupation is ad-
justment. The chief occupation OF
the growing boy and the growing girl
is development. During this period
the body increases rapidly IN size, the
various organs attain their mature
form, the mind bursts forth in its
strength, the affections are awakened
and begin to function normally, the
moral sensibilties are sharpened anc
10. in very few years that which
was but a mere bud has developed anC
is now become a full grown flower
The chief occupation of the boy anC
the girl during the second period o.
: life is development And in the thirC
period of life our chief occupation Ii
achievement As soon as our facultie.
are full grown it is time we fed then
giving them strength to fulfill theil
, proper function. The first sever
years of our life is the period of ad
justment The next fourteen years
, of our life is the period of develop
ment. The remainder of our life i!
! the period of achievement.
You have come then close to the enC
,, of the period of development. Yol
, are now entering, upon the earl.
, stages of the period of achievement
! During these previous years you hav,
been developing your physical powers
You have been making your bodie
strong in order that they may be abl
to stand the stress that will be PLACED
upon them during these coming years
= Anything that you may have done dur
ing these years to weaken your bodies
y any excuses in which you have in
dulged, any extrayagances of tension
: which you have permitted will hav
drained your nervous system, will
4 have softened your muscles, will hav
affected your blood supply. You hav
4 few years of this period of develop
: ment still left to you in which to re
pair the injury which you may hav
i, wrought upon your bodies. Through
a out the next period of life you vii
need all the strength you can muster
= The strain will be heavy.
3 During these past years you hav
b been acquiring intellectual ability. 70,
! have stored up an irreducible mini
mum of knowledge which shall abid
as basis for the intellectual life o
your maturer years. You have &C
quired a general knowledge of i'm
portant facts which are necessary t.
an intelligent output in the comm!
, years. You have received a grasp o
: methods of study which shall remain
, with you as treasure highly price
J throughout these years which lii
! ahead of you.
, In your various Sunday Schools ant
I Churches you have been developing
sense of right and wrong. You hav'
+ been working out code of morals b.
! which to guide yourself during thes
: remaining years of your lives. Yol
have been arriving at some workable
, conception of the meaning of life ant
!, the reality of God.
This is what the period of develop
ment has meant to you. This is wha
your play your recreation, your schoo
= life and your church training is sup
posed to have accomplished during
. this second period of your lives. Nov
r remember you have not yet quite com
pleted that period Your chief occu
patton until you are at least twenty
one years of age should be to develop
, strong bodies, keen intellects, an
pure morals. If you have failed II
: any one of these respects up to date
put forth your best efforts to max
/ that defect good while you are we
!: within this period of your life.
g Today you are High School pupils
! One week from today you will hav
: graduated from this phase of life an
will stand upon the Threshold OF a.
entirely new phase of life. Hereto
fore you have been guided. Som
= older person has told you what to dc
what courses to take in school, VIVA
games to enter, what dress to wear
, what shoes to put on, how to com
: your hair, whether or not to go to
A certain place, what companions L