The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1917-06-28
PERSONALITY AND PURPOSE
Speakers of Occasion, Professor Gilman
and Mrs. Bradford, Plead for Larger
Development of These Elements AS
Only Solution of School Problems.

A vacant chair, draped in the Stars
and Stripes, gave a touch of patriotic
solemnity to the annual commencement
exercises Of the Kenosha High School,
held at the Rhode opera house on Fri
day evening. Against the white mid
dies worn by the "sweet girl gradu-
| ates'' and the conventional blue chosen
by their stronger brothers, the Red,
White and Blue of cold Glory" was
striking reminder of their absent
President, Harold Williams, now in the
aviation corps of the United States
army. Although the young patriot
was not present at the graduation cere-
monies he was awarded diploma with
his classmates and the capacity crowd
which witnessed the commencement ser
vices burst into thunderous applause as
his name was called. It was the trib-
ute of a patriotic public to it's school
boy volunteer, who had heard and an
swered the call of country, in order that
the civilization which makes possible
our American educational systems might
not go down in darkness before the
doubtful culture of Prussian EKultuT. I,
To the music Of march played by
the high school orchestra the class Of
IT took its place upon the stage of the
Rhode opera house for the last and
most dramatic act in its scholastic life.
The invocation was pronounced by Rev.
G. W. Taylor of the Park Avenue Meth
odist church The music for the occa-
sion was novel by reason of the fact
that it was furnished by alumnae of
the Kenosha high school, the Misses
Marjorie Miller, now of the Oberlia
Conservatory of Music, and Florence
Frederickson, who has done advanced
work in violin at various schools.
Following the invocation Miss Miller
gave charming renditions of Schar
wenka's "Novelette' and Schubert
LISTS CLARK! Hank! The Lark! "
Both numbers were enthusiastically re-
ceived and were deserving of the APP
plause accorded them.
The commencement address was deliv-
cred by Prof. Stephen W. Gilman of
Wisconsin University. introduced by
Professor Tremper, the speaker launch
ed into an immediate discussion of his
theme: Personality and It's Relation
to Life. - F'Life is a mirror he de-
clared. eff you smile at it it smiles back
at you and if you frovr at it, it frowns
back at you IF you meet it with
personality it will greet you with sue
cess. Personality is the sine qua non
Of achievement and is the inherent pos
session Of every individual. It is not
thing bequeathed by partial fate to
scme and denied to others. Personality
is wrapped up in the youth as the germ
of the oak is wrapped up in the acorn.
It grows with cultivation and thrives
with work. He then proceeded to
show that this indefinable something
commonly known as "charmo may be
acquired by painstaking study of in
dividuals who possess it. Especially
did he plead for more cultural and less
technical training "The latter" he
said, "has resulted in a bread-and- but
ter type of mind which misses the
mental and spiritual pleasures of life. "
He concluded with the ringing state
ment: fThe very foundation of MAJ
tionalitv and civilization is personality
and without young men and women
who possess it our country or any coun-
try cannot accomplish its national mis-
sion or retain place of honor among
the enlightened powers Of the world. /"
After violin solo by Miss Frederick
son, which elected much applause, Mrs.
Bradford presented the diplomas to the
graduates and made varied revelations
and comments concerning the school sit
uation in Kenosha. The Superintend-
ent had her material well in hand and
spoke convincingly. About everything
she said there was note of sincerity
which proved conclusively that it was
said for the best interests of the Kenosha
schools an the community at large.
Quoting statistics she demonstrated that
only 1870 of the Freshmen who had
entered the high school in 1913 had
e ntinued to the end'' and merited
the honor of graduation. She asserted
that this was the least satisfactory
percentage she has yet computed in her
seven years as superintendent of the
Kenosha schools and attempted to ex-
plain why so many pupils left the local
high school without completing the
course. fThese statistics, she affirm
ed, s'show not that there is something
wong with Kenosha High School but
that there is something wrong with Ke-
nosha. Our high school faculty is as