St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1916-06-21
GRADUATION EXERCISES

In an address to the 40 graduates
OF St Johnsbury academy at the sew
enty-third annual commencement in
the Colonial theatre Thursday morn
ing, Hon. w. Bourke Cochran of New
York spoke on the subject of "Suc-
cess" and told the class that this
goal for which everyone was striving
was reached through happiness. The
assemblage which filled the theatre
was made up of the relatives and
friends of the graduates who had
gathered to hear the address by Mr.
Cochran and see the 46 young men
and women receive the reward for
work well done after four years of
efficient and determined effort.
Beautiful Decorations.
The platform was beautiful decor
ated with white flowers and golden
lilies against bank of wild fern and
wide spreading palms.
After the coronation march by the
Academy orchestra prayer was Oh
fered by Rev. George A. Martin. The
class was represented by the honor
Students Leighland Foster Parker,
Mary Cheney Carpenter and Gertrude
Howe Cramton. They spoke on the
following subjects respectively: The
Uses of Electricity in the Present
War, Forestry in Vermont, and The
Three Els
The trustees occupied seats on the
platform and the speaker of the day
was introduced by DIR. Benedict.
| Mr.. Cockran's Address.
Mr.. Cochran, although himself a
decided success in actual life, chose
| hi O NV
stating that he in no wise could speak
from experience, but rather from the
view of one who has been in a posi-
ton to observe that which is COM
monty called success.
Mr.. Cochran spoke in part as fol-
lows:
Success means different things to
different persons and different things
| to the same persons, but the great
prize, the one object of life is the
attainment of happiness and is the
highest attainment possible in life.
But there is no such thing as per-
feet happiness for no matter how near
one may be to supreme happiness
there is bound to be at some time
during life, disaster and disappoint-
ment, but it is possible to cultivate a
manner of contentment that will in a
great measure overcome these fail
ures and disappointments of life"
What Constitutes Happiness
Mr.. Cochran further spoke of what
constitutes happiness and whether
fame, power or wealth could lead to
the attainment of happiness.
He said: Among the graduates
before me about to face a new phase
of life are those who would place
fame as the road to happiness. But
those of my acquaintance who can be
called famous are not an especially
cheerful lot At first fame may gra-
tify one, but to be conspicuous in the
street car and to be pointed out on
the street soon pals on the average
person.
Fame may be lost by an impru-
dent act or expression. Therefore it
is not secure The only secure fame
comes after one is dead and then it
is of no particular benefit to the party
interested"
In speaking of power the thought
was brought forward that power was
force universally misapprehended,
and that in reality power is service,
but that whether welded by the Car
of Russia or a New York politician it
is generally used as se1f-preservation
in the gathering by them of circle
of advisers whose duty is to protect
from those forces and influences
which would, if not carefully guard
ed against, lose them their power"
The FaIIibility of Power.
Mr. Cochran showed the faliibility
of power as not contributing to hap
piness by referring to the uneasiness
Of people in power. using the quota
ton, Uneasy lies the head that wears
a crown"
In the relation of wealth to happi-
ness Mr.. Cochran said, "Of all the un-
happy people according to my OBJ
servation the most unhappy are the
very rich. Of all the places where
there is unhappiness there is only
one place where 1 have never seen a
smile 1t is not where poverty exists
or in the hospital among the suffer-
ing. neither is it among those who Ia
Dor hard for their daily subsistence,
for among the Iaboring classes is the
most happiness found, but the only
place a smile is never seen is in the
safety deposit vaults Of banking
houses. If we happen upon rich &C
quaintance in such place and greet
him a "caught-in-act' expression
comes over his face and he
hurries to his vault to cut coupons
or count bonds. Having reached the
extreme where one can write check
for almost an unlimited amount and
have it honored at the bank, sense
of failure is felt, the goal has been at
tanned, but with little satisfaction.
but by those who have not reach
ed that extreme the belief can be cher
ished that some day this extreme test
can be made and the object once at
tanned, with the golden key gained by
which the door can be unlocked,
sense Of failure is evident.
Not Fame, Wealth or Power
eft is not fame, wealth or power
that brings happiness. Happiness is
within the reach of all and does not
denend on what we have been but