Show ORATION how great are the gifts of nature the following is the lo ration delivered by class orator samuel kohn at the high school commencement exercises last evening oh how great a secret leeper is na nature slie forms mighty forces but has placed them in our hands as puzzles and laughingly said to us now bolye them if you can bit by bit the mystery is being unraveled until now although our eara lavo been attuned to the music of the spheres and though wo have not been permitted to cross the threshold of natures laboratory by untiring toil and labor we have been able to discover some of her mighty forces aa attraction haht heat animation vegetation and electricity and to observe the delicacy and infinite grandeur of their operations Is it not strange that a butter flys wings should be woven so thin and gauzy by this great wondrous loom of nature while the same all powerful band guiding the same shuttles forms and beets in place the great towering mountains oh what mysterious work see how the earth air and water by great law of conservation of energy are chancing cha neing into bread and out of the ground what daily noeda and beauty grow when we think 0 the millions of children the millions upon millions of birds beasts fisli and insects wo ara instantly reminded that they all hang on the breast of heaven and ara only sustained by the motherly bounty of infinite protection tec tion ob low great is nature not content with supplying our mere necessities beloro us a world of beauty wh aeed any star be FO fair and bricht the moon must revolve but must she involve in beauty why need the mist reflect the beautiful colora of alip rainbow arched above our heads aly the apple be of such brilliant hue why need the orange or pineapple and aery little grain bo shaped in euch perfect form look toward tho east in the eaily morn nud behold amid her gold and silver tinted draperies aurora coming heralding in his ficery quickly the llewera awaken and fill the air with their sweet odors alio dew drops which before wo could not see BOW ap pearin their crystal achsen step by step the sun majestically strides across the heavens until like a veary pilgrim lie has reached the western aate of heaven and evening stoops down to unloose the of his sandals then comes diana followed by her train of stars the guard of night ehe watches oscr us through the dark hours while our souls are given to refreshing Kl umber now tell whether nature is not gracious and what can be her purpose in all this nothing has she bestowed in which some beauty does not lie aa you look towards us you eee a group of youths budding and blooming aa it were into life and boulant with hopes and ardent w isacs for a happy future though we cannot penetrate the veil of the future the field ot hope natures ercal gift beams to stretch wide afre we are as yet to the cares and troubles of life but eoon we shall realize that many temptations will be put in our way to draw us from good to evil and from innocence to guilt either in our studies while our school years last or later in learning a profession or trade then still later in gaining a livelihood and shall we always be able to withstand all those al lure ments or will we have to yield although natures kind mother blest us in the beginning with devine instincts of love virtue courage and gratitude though our loving parents hare supplied all our needs and placed about ns every incentive to nobility of character if then we choose to make our future path one of thorns and whistles thistles es the fault will be ours not theirs nov my classmates class maes a few parting words with you era we separate for years we have together attended our studies and although to gain an adu catian has ever been our greatest aim many flying moments have found ua tasting forbidden sweets and now let us not assume that we have reached the acme of knowledge and that wisdom will die with us but commit ourselves to the guidance of the mora experienced to become wise iy ay wisdom of those who have gone before us the spring of the year Is the spring of our young lives and we are now to enter upon the summer and may tho flowers of summer be as beautiful to us as the blossoms of spring though we grieve at the parting let w joyfully press onward to take up our future kitag work to our prosperity and happiness but let it be on the tablets of our hearts and deeply impressed in our minds that noble manhood and womanhood is the greatest gift of nature if youth be trilled away without improvement our manhood and womanhood would be contemptible dependence and obedience belongs to youth all of us young plants are as the beautiful may flowers or trees as we appear before you this evening every flowering bush burns in our hearts with pride that feeling which is never consumed and if we intend to be noble we must in our early life commence to build on a foundation that as laid by nature education is teaching us how to interpret the book of nature she is teaching us to see into these physical beauties an inspiration to moral beauty then let us RO to her and learn ambition from the towering mountain generosity from the unread engelm activity from the restless ocean and purity from the hidden diamond all this material beauty ot education is but one rose only on the bosom and that rests upon the gift of nature |