The Press., 1921-06-23
High School Graduation.

l The Paramount theater made an
 ideal setting for graduation exercises Of the high school last Thursday even ing. The graduates entered the hall preceded by memt CTS of the junior class who carried decorative arches under which the senior class marched to the stage. Rev. c. H. Puffer gave the invocation which was followed by a selection by the high school chorus that well attested the efforts of Miss Jean s. Steele, supervisor of music. Joseph Kaplan presented an essay en- titled "The Advantages of a College Education in which he fully gave the reasons why one should strive hard for an education. He quoted 1 statistics to prove that the college educated men, with few exceptions, fill the liz places in life. "A Plea for the Teaching Profession," an essay by Miss Helen BrodersOn was an ex- pressiOn of the high ideals and sense of responsibility all teachers should consider tefOre becoming teachers. Miss Charlotte BeckWith taking as her topic the class motto, "ImpOssi- kility is Un-American," spoke of the outlook of youth upon the problems of the age. With the wide range of her topic much credit is due her for the manner of her composition and the clearness of her delivery. The main address of the evening was giv- en by Dr. Robert J. Alley, president of the University of Maine
 Dr. Alley appeared to the eye as a man of great weight, but to the ear his far greater weight of intellect [ 1oC point of contact he used the story of Belchazzar's impious feast and the writing on the wall, Thou art weigh ed in the balance and found wanting '' This led to his subject, "the weight of a man" and by what a man is weighed
 His whole discourse was a call to ] high endeaver-tO be and do ones best. While in former times the great en- phasis was placed on the three R's reading, 'riting and 'rithmatic,' Dr. Alley advocated that we stress the three G's-"grace grit and gumptiOn. :" | By grace he implied that virtue or moral excellence given of God to all who would receive. Grit was explain ed as that in Ulysses s. Grant which made him the foremost general in the civil war. GumptiOn, a thing hard to define tut easily recognized, he be- lieved was ] est explained by quoting words of another, ability to apply the right kind of oil where the squeak is" Among other qualifications for a 'weighty man. he recommended a sense of humOr and told what it meant to Abraham Lincoln in the darkest hours of his administration. Love is an important attribute, for without love in it's highest form, life is nothing. Dr. Alley believed this gen eratiOn has nearly lost it's perspective, that ability to see things in their rel ative proportions. Ones vision may te so ObScured by seeing little things | big, that big things are entirely shut out from sight. This he explained is so apt to be true of little fault of a very dear friend. We magnify and | draw 1t so near to the eye that their l good qualities are completely over shadOWed. Above all things exercise common sense, which is the most un- common sense. In closing a great l lesson was drawn from the story of an eminent artists devotion to his once famous artist father. Unalle to : attain results sought for, the old man, after painting each day, retired dis cOuraged and fatigued. Night after | night the loving son laEOred secretly | and increasingly making clear the blurred tackgrOund, correcting faulty perspective and replacing the hadly ar ranged foreground. Each morning the old gentleman, on viewing the pre- viOuS days work, took courage and labOred on. "SO may our best efforts be corrected, blended and made per feet ky the Great Masters love and our lives te acceptable to Him when he shall require them."
 The following were the graduates rlotte K noWlton BeckWith Doris Hum phrey Blick, Joseph KapIan General-ChesterW William Belcher, Hele- na Bothilda Broderson, Elizabeth Louise Comins, Francis Pagan, Thomas William Fletcher, Helen Claire GilIigan, Edwin Philip Schreier, Kenneth Henry Smith, William I.obert Smith, Emma Mary Tonon, Edmund Barber Towne, Com mercial-Dorothy P h ebe Belcher, Blanche Elizabeth Hanna.
 Following the address the alumni scholarship was presented to Joseph Kaplan, who is bound for the higher educational fields and for college life. He we'll deserved the fund both by attaining high averages in school and by his method of working his way toward an education. Diplomas rep | resenting intellectual attachments Of the graduates were presented to the members of the class by superinten- dent of schools, A. B. Handy. Plea was made to the audience by the su- perintendent for living accOmmOda- tions for teachers of the next years classes. At the same time MT. Handy suggested that there be greater effort made to become acquainted with our school teachers and that closer un- derstanding be established between parents and teachers. The benedic- tion was given by Rev. J. w. Ballan- ] tine.
 In St. Edwards hall last Friday evening, parents, relatives and friends of the graduating class of Stafford high school were enjOyers of one of the cleverest class night exercises in the history of the High school. Be ginning with a procession of under classmen across the stage, each class singing of it's outlook and ambition while in the school and carrying the colors of their respective year, the exercises came to the senior frolics which were laid in the scene of a boat trip down the Willimantic river. Thomas Fletcher gave the address of welcome and explained the purpose and direction of the trip. Dorothy Belcher then read the roll of the class, adding to each name some clev- CT characterization of the answering student Statistics of the class as recorded through the four years of school life were amply covered by William Smith. Emma TOnOn and Chester Belcher presented each mem Der of the gathering with some little token reminiscent of an event in their school life. Edmund Towne read from the record the history of the group from freshman year to class night.