Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1926-06-22
DR.. THOMAS SPEAKS
AT Commencement
NORTHEASTERN UNIV,

boston, June Glover $40 stu,
oents were graduated from the sew
eral schools of Northeastern Uni
versity, Boston. at the annual Com
mencement exercises held in the
,D opera House this evening.
Inc graduating class was the largest
in the history Of the University and
a capacity crowd of parents and
friends witnessed the exercises.
Itle speaker at the Commence
ment exercises was DR.. Augustus o.
Ihomas, Commissioner of Education
LOT the State of Maine. His subject
was Education in its Relations to
world Progress" The Rev. Vaughan
Dabney. pastor Of the Second Con-
SENSATIONAL Church in Dorchester,
o1fered the invocation. Degrees
were conferred by Frank Palmer
Speare, president Of Northeastern
University.
A number of students from Maine
graduated from Northeastern Uni
versity this year, two of them re-
ce1ving their degrees with honor. All
We're in the School of Engineering.
Arthur Milliken Pillsbury Of Scar
boro was granted the bachelors de-
gree In civil engineering, with honor,
and Andrew HodSon Haywood, Of
Gray. received THE bachelors degree
in electrical engineering, also with
honor.
William T. Alexander of Bruins
wick, received the degree in me-
chanical engineering. Joseph Willard
Maddocks of Gardiner, in electrical
engineering, and Earl Franklin
Gregg of Mars Hill, in electrical
engineering.
An interesting feature Of this
years commencement was the grad
uating of the first class from the
School of Business Administration
This school was founded four years
ago, and IL members Of the class
that entered at that time received
their degrees. THE largest gradual
ing class was in the School of En-
gineering, which granted degrees in
the various branches of engineering
to 161 students. THE School of
Commerce and Finance awarded 81
degrees. and the School of Law
awarded Ill, the largest number in
| it's history. The Evening Polytech-
mic School awarded 10 diplomas. OF
the graduating class seven were
women.
Commissioner Thomas in his adj
dress approved the work being done
| by Northeastern University as being
one of the useful types available for
| the masses.
| "Our people must be educated;
! there must be no bar to progress"
he declared. 1--WE are finding" he
said, that there must be a college
| wherever there Is an ambitious stu
| dent or wherever there is a man or
woman who thinks he can improve
! hts usefulness by education. The
| present selective vogue will not pro-
duce an educated man. This means
that we must take education to the
people. This institution, the North
eastern University, is q modern in
stitution filling a great mead. Cor
| respondence, evening classes, study
centerS, teaching the use Of the Ii
brary, giving specialized instruction
while the man is on the job, are the
most useful forms Of education which
q country can foster. College life
has a tendency to develope SNUG
gishness and snobbishness. This is
the fault of the college whivh has not
seemingly attempted to control this
tendency. We do not want an edu-
Gated aristoeracy. We do not want
to set up in our country common and
preferred classes.
I'VE set up in our country equal
opportunities for all, yet we would
establish old -world customs. What
we need in America, is some means
whereby, regardless of race or creed
or color, our people who make Amer
lea their home may secure educa-
tional advantages of the sort they
need most. Not all would take lib
eral education, but all can take help,
directly applying it to their industry.
Education of the right sort can make
for liberality, can wipe out intoler-
ance, overcome Indulgence, develop a
patriotism consistent with law and
order and enable our people to rea-
lie that in obedience to law is lib