The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1917-06-16

the master or ruling class. The speaker
argued that the spirit of the second
mile, the extra mile in which the bearer
should labor for the love of the labor far
exceeds in Importance the compulsory
duty of making the first mile. AS an
analogy, he described the Quebec bridge
disaster of 1916, in which every last part
had been tested to hold a given load
told of the collapse which followed when
the bridge failed to hold up an added
burden, and then went on to point out
the requirement exscted by engineers OF
the Brooklyn bridge, where the metro
! politan fathers, after each yearly in
speetion, are not content unless they
are assured that the structure will bear
up a great many more tons of traffic
than is actually required.
4 The glory of the second mile is to be
found in the spirit of volunteer service,
the speaker continued, of doing, not only
that which has been imposed upon you,
but of giving additional service. He cit
ed the New York bank which insists that
every depositor shall have margin OF
$500 over and above the sum total OF
checks drawn.
| In the world outside, he told the grad
yates, there Is the old Roman OF work,
who is waiting to demand that you bear
with him for mile. He urged the grad
yates to remember that the real glory is
to be found in the second mile, the mile
that is not required by the Roman. The
speaker went back to Greece for his
story OF the man who was delegated
to serve as the town scavenger, an ap.
pointment which was designed to con-
vince him that his supposed wisdom was
a matter of Imagination. Instead OF
Sinking the task he set about to height
en- the dignity Of his work and succeeded
so admirably that within few years
the office of scavenger was one of the
much sought honors in all Grecian towns.
He stressed the Importance OF doing well
the task that is set in front of one and
declared that the public school in Amer
lea has failed if it has not prepared its
young men and young women to appre
eiate the glory which lies in service that
is not actually required.
America, he went on, is a monument
to the men who gloried in the spirit OF
the second mile. The men who gave all
that they had for the sake of the nation
realized the greater meaning of service.
The Christian church in America, he
said, is typical of the second mile. In
deed, all of Americas free institutions,
even her privilege of citizenship, are
rooted in the rule of the second mile.
Service in the church, service as citi
zen, service in the government Is. not
compulsory and one may live in America
without activity in any of these and
still enjoy the fruits of American lib
erty. And yet the numbers of those who
have freely and entirely without com
pulsion contributed their lives to such
institutions bear eloquent testimony to
the satisfaction that is found in the sec
ond mile. The speaker quoted Shake
speare frequently TO bear out his asser-
ton that all of the great teachers OF the
world, the Master and His greatest dis |
ciple, st. Paul, included, preached the |
service of the second mile
The old Roman of environment de- |
serves a place alongside the Roman of
work, said the speaker. and in a concise
declaration of principle, he emphasized !
the Importance of being satisfied with |
ones environment. He preached content /
AhthA ~ oNAObE doNH W hA' '
youthful hearers not to be will-o'the-
wisp ehasers and to remember the value
OF being able to do that which is near at
hand. He spoke OF changed conceptions
as to the dignity of labor and referred
to conditions in America to-day, when all
men are finding their work and address
ing themselves to il with a seriousness
Of purpose hitherto undreamed OF. He
cited the successful floating of the Lib
erty loan bond issue as an example OF
what people may do in tho second mile,
even though they are not actually com
PEELED to exert their power Young men
Of high school age. he said, are conscious
Of the glory to be found in the second
mile when they stepped forward to join
the colors, and so, too, are other high
school students who see their duty back |
home on the farm and do it. In closing
he appealed to his hearers to strive not
for the goal that might mean Indifferent
success, but for the goal that would rep
resent the maximum of their ability.
Diplomas Awarded; Announcements.
In receiving their diplomas the seniors
we're briefly addressed by Chairman L. r.
of the school commission,
Who eomplimented the class on its size
Ind its excellent record Of achievement.
Mention was made. as had been frequent
v made before in the commencement
week programs. that 1917 boasts the
argest class in the history of the school.
larger classes are numbered as
none of the classes that |
ave figured in the commencement exer-
Uses of other years has been so numer-
'us. After going through the essential
ormality Of presenting themselves for
he parchment. the seniors formed IN
emi-circles on the stage and waited for
he aocompauist TO begin the school
Iymn. Lead, Kindly Light was sung i
Nth a volume that never before marked
Is use at Spaulding gradustions and as
he last note died away the commence
nent functions Of 1917 were all but al
nd At the close the students led the
udicnce in singing The Star Spangied
tanner" while everyone stood az atten-
ion
Announcement i made that the fresh
lan scholarships at the University Of
'ermont, offered BY the university, were
ron by Miss Elizabeth LAFlsm and
,iohard Earnest Cruickshsnk, they be