Show valedictory address mr chairman fellow graduates friends judging from the appearance of tins this audience today and from the interest that seems to be manifest in matters of education I 1 would say we are believers in a statement made by that most celebrated of reformers martin luther luthier Lut lier said lie the prosperity of a city does not depend solely on its natural richness on the solidity of its walls on the elegance of its mansions or of the abundance of arms aims in its arsenals but the safety and strength t of a city reside above all in a good education which furnishes it with instructed reasonable honorable and in well trained citizens were there theren neither cither souls heaven nor hell it would still be necessary to have schools for the sake of affairs here below when the student taps at the door of education arid and demands admittance at its portals lie he is shown on one e course arid and is told that he be iu in common with all who enter there must travel it the completion of itis it is necessary for the broader courses which follow this is the common school course and is the basic of a students future additions of knowledge the be importance of thorough work at this beaff stage 0 e of progress la is vast the designer de desi siguer 10 cluer of the huge factor factory or of the elegant mansion is careful to lay a solid foundation on which to rear the massive superstructure for it if the foundation be not firmly set if the corner stone well laid when the elements become angered and join their forces in the work of destruction truc tion then the superstructure is iu in danger 0 the walls totter aye and they may fall but let the rocks at the base be set with a skillful hund hand and then no matter whether the angry hurricane rave or jhc thc rain pour down itself in torrents the structure remains solid still so it is with the structure of knowledge ile he who learns well his simple lessons is ia the one better prepared to take the more advanced in representing the graduates on this memorable occasion I 1 am proud to represent as 03 many girls as boys boy how different is the sphere of now compared with what it once was no lori lorier longer 0 er do their intellectual faculties lie dormant but are arc placed on an equal with man this is to a great extent due to fredrick Fr ili influence fluence lie ile held that the teaching of little ones is the natural calling of woman and that girls should be educated that they may make good mothers arid and give the child such early training as is necessary to lay the foundas foundation foun dat on of good scholarship and moral training it is feces necessary sary that parents and school trustees appreciate the requirements quire ments of a truly good education and we beseech tile the legislature to look with a broader mind and make a generous appropriation to aid iu in obtaining competent teachers in ill order that tha t the child way may continue to have thew the moral oral and intellectual intellects al training to make good citizens that not only a territory but a nation may be benefited our future paths hold out high hopes and po prospects for for 0 us who cau can penetrate the future far enough to say to what position of trust and fame these graduates may yet attain who knows but that some of them may insy yet become landmarks land marks in the paths of literature noble and inspired teachers men of and renown editors or statesmen I 1 who can tell such things are arc pos eile bile fur for within the oyster shell uncouth the purest pearl may hide bide and ott oft well find a heart of truth within a rough most blost of the men whose names are arc household words the children childre a of poverty captain cook the circumnavigator of the globe was born in a mud hut but and started in life as a cabin boy lord eldon who figured in british for nearly half a century was the son of a coal merchant franklin the philosopher and statesman was but a poor printers boy whose highest bi im liest luxury at one time was only a penny roll eaten in the streets of philadelphia johnson goldsmith and many others of high distinction knew the pressure of limited circumstances stances this then can be no inseparable obstacle to success and though in our pathway to success may lie many difficulties let us sweep down the cobwebs of worn out belief find and throw our souls soul wide open to the lighton light of reason and of knowledge turn our ears to all the music of the stars and to the voice of nature and our hearts shall turn to truth and goodness as the plant turns to the sun a thousand unseen hands reach down to help us to their peace crowned bights hig lits and all the forces of the firmament shall fortify our strength be not afraid to thrust aside half truths and grasp the whole teachers schoolmates and friends it is time to draw to a close we turn from the past with blooming hopes for the future let us continue the noble work not forgetting to trust in god for our future success as we are merely stepping into the broader land of education to our dear teachers we bid a fond farewell thanking them for their continued efforts in our behalf and whose work is of all others the noblest the most useful the best to our schoolmates we wish them success and hope that they may be among the next to graduate and that the class of qi may exceed our class of 93 |