Smyrna times., 1925-06-24
SMYRNA HIGH GRADUATES HEAR
AN ADDRESS BY BISHOP COOK
CHARACTER AND INTELLIGENCE
AN EQUIPMENT WORTH WHILE
Awarding of Diplomas by President
w. o. HOffecker of School Board
Followed With Prize Awards


Smyrna High School Graduating
Class were held Wednesday evening, |
when a class of twenty received di-
plomas, was an important event. The |
Rev. Thomas G. Hill gave the invoca-
ton, after which Miss Nellie Nc
WhOrter, salutatOrian, gave a talk on
Character" Miss Kathryn Bartlett,
one of the graduates, sang. Miss E.
Rebecca HObson, valedictorian, de
livered an address on Success" Bis
hop Philip Cook made the address to
the graduates. Bishop Cook compli-
mented the graduates on their excel
lent school building, saying that the
character of the building would be re-
flected in the quality of instruction
given there. Relative to the two
honor students being girls, he said
that this was but an indication of the
present age in which women have
more to do and more to say than ever
before.
Bishop Cook emphasized the i'm
portance of character and intelligence
as equipment for mature living.
Character without brains, makes for
ineficiency; brains without character
makes for irresponsibility. Character
is made at home; intelligence is cul-
tivated at school. He defined charac-
ter as a background of ideals, self
discipline, habits of life making for
purity, decency, and self-contrOl and
virtue that responds unfailingly to the
call of duty. But, said he, brains are
needed with character for accomplish
ment. That goodness is identified
with dullness, righteousness with stu
pidity, is a lie coined in the workshop
of the devil himself, real goodness is
thrilling; there is a romance in right
eousness, asserted the speaker.
Good Character Along With Education
The other individual, said Bishop
Cook, the man with brains but M
character, will have SUCCESSORS
what it will. The two elements arr
necessary for truly successful living
| At commencement every school ma.
call on its graduates to go out ant
show what the school has done TO
them.
The part each plays in life, tn
Bishop summed up, as a series o
births into new worlds: the world o
understanding, of reading, of math
matics, of science, the world of beaut
beauty of nature, art, literature, llt'
the world of institutions and citizer
shin. Then comes maturity and tn
preparation for the second great ever
that comes to us all, death. The shli
, from youth to maturity he likened
. the tacking Of a sailboat in a cain
Shifting out of the tack of youth
the maturity is the severest test
the skill of the skipper. The SIN
! NAV remain in the wallOw Of the sc
J. unless it ha sufficient momentum
responsibility, self control, and INTEL
pence to take it safely into useful m;
turity.
"The virtues of youth" said Bis
!. op Cook, care not those Of maturlt
Simpleness is beautiful in youth
Lord deliver us from the sOphisticat'
child. Though the moral equipme
of youth be innocent, that of matun
is knowledge. Credulity won't do I
men and women. For them IS I
faith that looks life in the face al
seeing sin. moral turpitude, seltls
ness. and ignorance, yet says 81 knC
that my Redeemer liveth. Let
not think freedom means freedo
from worry, labor, and responsibilt
but freedom to work and follow t
CLEAN. In conclusion the Blsh
stated that the individual who n
character and intelligence brings
the world the force from life that
honestly, truly and fearlessly lived
Prizes Awarded to School Pupils
After the presentation of the
plomas to the graduates by Wal
o. Hoffecker, President Of the sen
board, the following prizes w
awarded:
Faculty club prizes to the two $
dents making the best scholastic
ord during their high school care
/, first prize, $40, Elva Rebecca Hobs
|, second, IS, Nellie NJ. McWhorter'
National Society Colonial Dau