The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1913-05-27
At THE TEMPLE
MONDAY EVENING.
An Extra Account of the Commence
ment Exercises

the sweet girl graduate we have with
US all the time. A certain adyer-
tisement lately in the Star notified
the public that there are but 500
seats in the Temple theater, but to
one with poor head for figures it
looked last night as tho there might
be nearer 5000 than 500, and every
one coupled and in fact, in many
seats the occupants had to double up.
The exercises last night were
somewhat different from those We
have had in former years The won
derful class history, usually only in
teresting to members of the class.
likewise the mysterious prophecy as
to the splendid achievements of the
class in future years, was cut out.
as was the essays and papers of each
Individual graduate with the excep-
ton of an Grafton by Miss Mary NJ
Shepard, on The Loyalty of Service,
which was delivered with distinct
ness and grace that charmed the
whole audience. also an Grafton by
Robert F. Conner, whose subject,
THE Scholar of Today" was
splendid effort both in the beauty
and thoroughness with which the
subject was treated and the perfect
name rim which it was acclaimed.
The singing by the school chorus
was the best We have ever heard on
any similar occasion, there being a
number of magnificent voices and
all well trained Judge Bullock pre-
sided and introduced each speaker
as only the judge can, and his few
remarks at the close to the class, the
teachers and the board of trustees,
graduating each in turn on the
success Of the occasion, and his
earnest, sincere advice to the grad
yates as to their future work, was
something to remember for long
time to come, but when he introduce
ed DR.. w. L. Clifton, the president
of Southern College, he said so many
n
that the worthy doctor blushingly
disclaimed the soft impeachment
DR.. Clifton in part said that young
people like the class Of graduates
present looked on an occasion of this
kind as the turning point or at least
the entering point of life, when in
fact they had been in life for ten or
twenty years; he said he felt like TAX
ing a text and his mind settled on
Romans 1872 BE We not conformed
to this world, but be We transformed
by the renewing of your mind" et.,
and applied it to the graduates by
saying that it was almost futile or
stupid TO think of life as not con-
trolled by its surroundings. They
would soon find themselves in a
world of. change. world of Gus
toms, decisions and manners and a
man to be a man must look between
these to the beginning of time.
Graduates had no right to be lost
in the common mass, as they have
had the office and presence of books,
| the very fountain of knowledge and
truth; books which give truth as it
| flows from mind to mind, and if al
times the truth appears to be super
coded and unpleasant It is because
they have not drunk deep enough
or washed the dust of the street
| from their eyes, for books bring the
truth of all knowledge of daily life.
He spoke of the fountain OF
Friendship as being self-sacrifice and
| of the pleasure which association
and the society of those who think
and act as we ourselves do; friend
ship to be true and abiding must be
willing to serve, but should be as
real as life itself and as clear as the
MONDAY sun. Every man should
have with him a spirit that would
not allow him to be vanquished, 8
spirit bound to win.
He spoke of the fountain of sor.
row, saying it could be made sweet
or bitter according to the way we &C
lcept or combat it. In speaking Of
| the fountain Of difficulties he illus
trated it By describing the act o.
sailing a boat, the wind may be fail
when the boat started but after {
time in changing the course it struch
them on the side but the man at tbs
tiller shifted his sails to meet it, ane
even when the boat was headed FOL
home and the wind came directly il
their face, they never gave up but by
lacking made even that adverse vino
send them along the course thes
wished to sail, the lesson of which
was that there is always a plan BY
which difficulties can not only be
overcome but can be made a means
to the end we wish to accomplish.
A man, said the speaker, to be q
true man must be free to speak his
own words, to think his OWL
thoughts and to those thoughts and
those words all the world will listen