The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1921-06-10
normal SCHOOL
IT'S
GLASS
Commencement Exercises
Were Held This
Morning
.DR. E!NEGAN ORATOR.
Diplomas Were Presented
By State superintend-
ent Ford

ent Ford
The semi.centeDnlal, or fIftleth,
commencement Of the Fairmoni
State Normal school took place
this morning at ten o'clock in the
auditorium of the school when DR.,
Thomas e. Finegan, state superin,
tendent Of Public instruction OF
Pennsylvania, delivered a master.
ful address TO the class composed
OF SO young women and men.
In addition to the presence Of DR..
Finegan, who is an educator OF
National prominence, state dlgni.
taries as follows were present and
occupied seats on the platform:
State Superintendent Of the Board
of Education George NJ. Ford, OF
Charleston;. Secretary Of the
Board ]. F. Marsh, of Charleston;
Member Of the Board w. @. Cook,
of Welch, and j. Walter Barnes,
member Of the state board of con-
troll, formerly Of this city, now OF
Charleston.
President Of the State Normal
Joseph Roster presided at the com.
nencement exercises this morning
and introduced the speakers, and
also presented the class to Super.
lntendent Ford for their diplomas.
Mr. Ford made brief address in
which he congratulated the mem.
bers Of the class on having complet.
ed the prescribed courses and urged
them to go higher still in the field
of learning. The other state Off
cials were also introduced and made
short talks.
The platform of the auditorium
was prettily decorated for the occa.
sion with French sbask of Dpro.
thy Perkins roses and ferns while
American flags were draped from
the balcony. Ideal weather condi.
tions helped to frame a pretty pic.
-ture. The sun poured Its bright
rays through easement windows as
the class, composed mainly Of young
women dressed in pretty white
frocks, marshaled by class teach
ers, filed into the-auditorium to the
music furnished by Miss Katherine
Beltzhoover.
After the class had been seated
in the middle section Of the audi.
'torium Rev. Claude H. King, pastor
OF the First Methodist Episcopal
church, pronounced the Invocation.
A double quartet OF girls, pupils OF
tie school,, sang beautifully. Kip.
ling's Recessional, with music by
Reginald de Koven, accompanied
by Miss Beltzhoover. A piano duo
by Miss Beltzhoover and Miss Laura
NJ. Briggs, brilliantly rendered, fur
nished the other musical number
Of the program. e
"Thas education is a matter OF
state concern" was the main theme
OF a splendid address by DR.. Fine,
gan who paid his first visit into
the state OF West Virginia yester-
day when he arrived here In re-
sponse to an invitation extended
him to deliver the commencement
address this morning. Without the
proper spirit and sentiment in com
munity and state, DIR. Finegan be
lieves, the public school system and
the state institutions will not as
sumo the, place they should in this
country and will not keep the prop
er pace with the advance Of civil
cation. "Education," he said, sis q
matter OF state control. concern
and supreme interest" and the
greatest asset the school systems oi
the country can have is an alive
and keen spirit both in state and
community for the very best
fschool systems that can be devised
and carried through
DR.. Finegan went on to urge upon
the class the important part the
teacher has to play In creating pub
lie sentiment for the best in schools
by bringing to the proper officials
the weaknesses Of. the schools as he
or she sees them. He touched upon
the importance Of seeing to It that
every :hild OF school age be in
school daily, that each child be re
quired to complete at least the ele,
mentary school course, that the age
for compulsory attendance be
placed at six years instead OF eight
that the terms Of the public schools
be heightened, that the best and
most efficient teachers be EN-,
ployed, the best courses estab.
lished and that the wage oi
the teachers be raised. These
ard many other important phases
DR.. Flnegan touched upon In his
address which was listened to
by a large audience OF patrons and
friends Of the school assembled for
the commencement program.
In his opening remarks DR.. Fin.
egan congratulated the class on
being the fiftiethj class to be grad
uated from the Jinstituion and re.
marked that the Fairmont Nor.
NAL school was founded and lived
through the reconstruction period
after the Civil war in a time when
the State Normal school system
was founded when the public
school system took on life, when
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