Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1918-05-21
WAUSAU HIGH SCHOOL
COMMENCEMENT D0INGS

Sunday evening, May 10, marked the
| beginning of the Wausau High school
commencement exercises for the grad
| uating class of 1918. The annual bac-
calaureate service was held at the
First Presbyterian church at eight
o'clock, and was a union evening SER
vice. The program opened by Miss
Wanda Hopp, the organist, playing
| several selections, "Prelude in c Min
or" by Rachmaninoff; "Berceuse,"
| by Dickinson; "Chant Sans Paroles"
| by Lyon; and "Cradle Song" by Spin
| ney AS the organist played LAMAR
| seillaise," by Rouget IIsle, the mem
bers of the graduating class entered
| the auditorium, the girls marching
along ore outer aisle, and the boys
along the other. Seats had been ar
| ranged on the platform in front of
| the pipe organ The auditorium was
beautiful with simple decorations of
| lilac sprays, while the pretty white
gowns of the girl graduates lent eff
| fectively to the scene. Although the
| day had been a stormy and rainy one,
| the evening cleared up, and also added
| beauty and charm to this very i'm
/
| terrain church was taxed to its capac-
ity, all available space being taken
| by relatives and friends of the gradu-
| ates. After the entrance Of the young
people, who have just about finished
their High school career, all joined
| in singing America" Rev. w. H.
| Gould, pastor of the First Universal
| list church, gave the scripture reading,
while Rev. Richard Evans, pastor of
| the First Methodist church, gave the
| prayer. The Senior chorus then rem
dered Devotion" by Mascagni, fol-
| lowed by the address to the gradu-
| ates by DR.. d. Jenkins Williams, pas
| tor of the First Presbyterian church,
who had chosen an appropriate title
| at this particular time for his address,
which was, "Over the Top and was
| in part as follows:
ITO go Over the Top in life's great
| battles, one must have fixed purpose,
| and by this | mean a fixed purpose in
the line of great ideals. Ideals change.
| We must have a fixed purpose in the
| line of great controlling ideals. Let
us not be satisfied with what we are,
| but let us ever be eager to reach after
| that which is beyond our present at
| tainment, viz, the great ideal for larg
er service, and that very fact develops
character and gives capacity for great
er things.
| Having a fixed purpose along the
| line of great ideals will give you a
| constantly increasing resisting power.
Character needs this. Temptations
come and they will continue to come
your way. And the higher up you go,
the larger will the temptations be,
and only strong moral purpose can
| save you from surrender to lower
| ideals.
To the young women | would say,
let your influence count for much.
| You have been trained, and / trust
that you may continue your course of
training through college or university.
1t verify seems that it is the part of
| woman to quietly insti,i into life great
thoughts and ideals which are in later
years to grow, develop and flourish
as controlling ideals in society. Yes,
influence and association counts for
much, for it is by our association that
we influence the world about us.
Our boys who have gone to the
front will come back home to us with
frmer belief in the great ideals of
Christianity. They will come back
with larger charity and with a pro-
found conviction of the spiritual one
ness of mankind. l say out of this
terrible conflict will come a new vision
of democracy, vision not of classes
and of races as heretofore, but the
building up of character, the uniting
of classes and races of men in spir-
itual humanity. This is the interpre-
tation of life, which I would leave
with you, my young friends. I bid
enter life and struggle with its prob
lens with fixed purpose along the
line of high ideals. Some of these
great problems must be solved by
your generation"
The Senior chorus appeared next on
the program and sang, Charity" by
Rossini. This was followed by the
singing of "The Star Spangled Ban
ner," by all present, and the benedic-
ton by Rev. F. A. Clarke, assistant
pastor of the First Presbyterian
church. The organ postlude, "Chant
Triomphal," by Gaul was played by
Miss Hopp, as the large gathering left
the church.