Putnam patriot., 1929-06-27
Prizes Awarded and Honors Announced at Exercises
 Putnam High School
Commencement Week Closes With Sc.
 nior Reception

Commencement Week Closes With Se-
 nior Reception
 Bradley Theatre was filled last Thursday evening for the graduating exercises of the class of 1929. There was. as usual, much interest in the two prize winners and the honor pu- pills of the class. These were an nouneed near the close of the exercis- es by Principal E. l.. Robinson. The Eden Tatem Memorial Award in Eng fish went to Miss Elizabeth Bennett. The Elizabeth Porter Putnam D. A. R., award in history went to Miss Miriam Daitch. The honor pupils were Philip Arnold, John Ash, IT,, Eli zabeth Bennett, Miriam Daitch. Eu- gene Dumas, Ruth Hawkes., Irene Tourville.
 Honors are awarded pupils who. during the four years course, have maintained an average of S5 per cent. and during the full course have never fallen below 70 per cent in any sub ject. This Is a severe test and those especially mentioned for honors under these conditions are deserving of the honor and of the highest cred it for their efforts during their high school years.
 The program opened with a march by the high school orchestra follow ed by the invocation by Rev. Henry F.. Hodge. There was song by the high school chorus after which the first essay, "The Early History of In- surancen was given by Aline Beatrice Tourville; following which an essay, "The Homesteader" was given by Miss Ruth Everett Hawkes.. Following another song by the school a poem, What's in a Name" was re- cited by Miss Elizabeth Bennett. The school sang, "A Dream Boat Passes By followed by the address of Dr. Horace F. Holton. Then the prizes and honcra were announced and di- plomas were presented by Leon NJ. Farrin, superintendent of schools. The Star Spangled Banner" sung by the school and the audience, closed the program.
 pr. Holton's Address
 Dr. Holton had an excellent ad- dress to the graduating class. Ii was enc which carried it's message of the present, urging the graduates not to lose their individuality in this ma ehinen age. Dr. Helton spoke on 'sVietors or Victims" and said in part:
 The graduates of the present are in a special sense the children of q new day in this old world. It is the same old world, cnly 1t has new toys and tools. and 1t goes on wheels and wings rather than on foot or horse back. But that it is new day in the old world is evident on all sides. lt is the day of the machine, of mass production, of huge combinations, and vast institutions. It is the day of the common man. lt is the day of cooperation and of growing world mindedness. Also it is a day of tram sition and change in all departments of life.
 The graduate of today is going out to master these new conditions, or be mastered by them. Our age is saying to them in a paraphrase of cer- tain lines in Lowells Commemora- tion Ode-"Prove now the promise of thy youth, CT cover in empty phrase, the victims of the age and not it's mate"
 That they have a struggle ahead of them is a commonplace statement. But in spite of that there is an at titude of mind only too current among it's doting parents as well, that the great idea is tc get by as easily as possible to take short cuts to glory, to get rich quick, and to win fame and fortune by pull, influence and special privelege, rather than by hard work and honest merit Now those who hold this idea will inevitably be- come the victims and not the victors of the new day. It is everlastingly true that one never gets something for nothing The man who seeks success by pull and influence, may get what the world calls success, but he will lose his own soul in the pro cess. and in the end he will find that the game is net worth the candle.
 The Struggle
 Too often we think of this strug gle in vague and general terms, We limit 1t to the battle for place and existence. We think of it as a strug- gle to make a living, instead of the battle to make a life. There are cer- tain fundamental phases of this strug- gle in which our youth is to engage in this new day, which they must un- ' derstand and resolutely face. We will then discuss them briefly under three heads. There is the struggle of the man versus the machine; the struggle of the individual versus the crowd; and the struggle of the soul versus the animal.
 As we have said, the new day is the day of the machine. of steel and cleo tricity. It is an age that worships pow CT as it is represented in the ma chine. The tendency is to make the machine great and the man small. We seem to be drifting towards that tra- eedy that is represented in the fable of the Frankinstein monster, which turned and destroyed it's clever in- ventor.
 Our graduates are going out to be geered into this machine age. it will be fatally easy for them to become just c0gs in this vast mechanism, to lose their identity and to come to feel that they are the victims of the [ af kk.... x.ftll I.aav..ss