Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1918-05-29
SCHOOL PICNIC
IS Big SUCCESS
LARGE CROWD ATTENDS EIGHTH
GRADE GRADUATION OF
RURAL SCHOOLS.
REV. ]. C. ORTIZ GIVES ADDRESS
DR.. E. A. Kepford Addresses the Grad.
uating Glass. Diplomas Are
Presented to Graduates.

The Delaware County School picnic
Z held on the Fair Grounds Tuesday
afternoon was a great success and a
surprise to those who did not know
Of the careful preparation made by
Superintendent Ottillie and the teach
ers of the rural schools of the county.
Heavy rains caused the postponement
Of the exercises from last Friday and
heavy rains Monday night and Tues
day forenoon doubtless prevented
some from attending, but several
thaasand were on the grounds in the
afternoon.
superintendent Ottillie called upon
e. NJ Carr to present the prizes won
by the school children in the Thrift
Stamp campaign. Eleanor Murphey
of Worthington was presented book
for the best essay; Donald Mangold
Of Adams township received book for
designing the best poster advertis-
ing the Thrift Stamps; and to District
No. 5, Milo township, was presented
the flag for selling the most Thrift
Stamps, their total being $455.O0. La
ter it was discovered that Miss Bertha
Robinson's school in Adams town
ship had sold $615.00, so another prize
was awarded to that school.
Raymond's Concert band of Inde-
pendence played at intervals through
out the program and, as always, add
ed much to the pleasure of the day.
!. The girls glee club Of the Manches-
ter high school sang three times dur
ing the afternoon, doing credit to the
high school and their instructor, Miss
Wherry.
The great feature of the day and a
novelty here was the contest between
the townships in patriotic drills by
the children of the rural schools. Ev-
cry one of the drills was excellent
and all showed careful training which
was of value to the children whether
the prize was won or not. The judges
awarded first shonors and the Bruns-
wick talking machine to the schools
of Delaware township for their little
play picturing the call to American
children to help feed the suffering
children of Belgium, France, Serbia,
and Armenia. Uncle Sam called upon
his children to help and group Of
boys in overalls, with spades, respond
ed with the up-to-date version of
Coming Through the Rye" and
group of girls with hoes sang Keep
the Garden Growing" Smaller tots
brought their May baskets, filled with
food instead of flowers and gave them
to the starving little ones across the
water and the children then voted, un
animously, that the faithful, careful,
economizing cook, should be crowned
Queen of the May, and Uncle Sam
gravely seated her upon the throne
and placed on her head the crown,
while the children did her honor.
Second honors were awarded to the
Milo school for beautiful drill, re-
markable for the precision with which
it was carried out. Third place was
given to the Honey Creek schools for
a dance around the May pole around
which were wound ribbons of red,
WulCo anu Ulue.
Rev. J. C. Orth spoke most earnest
ly for a short time, appealing espec-
tally to those of German birth to show
by their acts that they had no sympa-
thy with that internal devil, the kai-
SER He contrasted the results of
militarism and civilization and show
ed that Prussianism has caused no
mother to give thanks for it, but has |
caused untold thousands of mothers
to hate it. He said that the name
Hun" applied to the German soldiers |
was due to Kaiser Bills exhortation
to his troops to make themselves more
terrible than the Huns under Attila,
which they had done. He appealed to
his fellow-countrymen not to be de-
luded by the German language papers,
which he said had not printed the
facts, and that no reasonable person
could longer doubt that the German
soldiers had committed atrocities that
the world had never thought of be-
fore.
Mr.. Orth said the Kaiser's only care
for the common people was to demand
that they produce sons for his army
and money for the army and that he
even demanded the souls of his sub
jects by the passage Of the law per-
mitting dual citizenship, by which he
called upon Germans in this country
to be false to the oath they took when
He reminded his hearers
that they had not come to America to
spend their accumulated wealth, but
that the German immigrant came with
nothing in his pockets. He came to
secure better living conditions and
chance to earn a home, unhampered by
requirements. Now, they
have succeeded in their ambitions and
have become prosperous in the coun-
try of their adoption, he begged them
not to be deluded by the propaganda
of the Prussian autocracy, but to be
whole e-heartedly and actively loyal to
the country which had given them
their opportunity and so remove from
their name and their childrens name
the stigma attached to the race Of {
Huns" +;
DR.. A: E. Kepford delivered the ad-
dress to the graduating class from the
eighth grades. In spite of the lateness !
Of the hour and restlessness of the
crowd he held their attention by a {
stirring patriotic appeal, emphasizing
The fact that to the rural schools of {
.