Our High School

The twenty-uinth annual commencement of the Ann Arbor High School occurred last Friday and the exercises were held in Uniyewity hall in the presence of a good sized audience. There was an abundance of floral offerings for the graduates and a fine display of plaats and flowers on the platform, The hall was appropriately decorated and occupying a prominent place in the back grouiid of the platform was the senior class motto "Esse Quani Yideri" in letters of white on a dark blue back ground. On the platform were the graduating class, Superintendent Ferry' Profs. Pattengill and Nichols, Rev. Mr. Ryder, Rev. Mr. Earp, Rev. Mr. Xeurnaun, and Messrs. Harriman, Mack, Doty, Smith, Gruner, and Whedou of the school board. The Chequamegon orchestra f urnished the music for the day and opened the exercises. Rev. Mr. Earp made the prayerand afterthe Chequarnegons had )layed Eiu Frohlingsidyll, William Blair, of Chambersburg, Pa., spoke in ariswer to the question -Are We Free?" Je spoke of thepessiniistic spirit which occasions this question to be asked in this country. Na nation had ever passeci a more prosperous century than this. The great object of the United States had been to establish a government without aristocracy, where all men are equal. This goverument is no onger an experiment. It has successfully put down a civil war, and maintained peace with all natious. And yet some are found who ask, are we tree. Prominent among these are the anarchists. Anarchy is the want of goverument, each person exercising his jowers in whatever way he pleasesThe weak then must submit to the strong and the result is monarchy. Communists also ask the questiou. Commuuism is a better organized system. Jamestown had it for üve years, the Puritans attempted it. The experiments were not the most successful. Socialists also ask, are we free. Socialism is a plan for re-organiziug society on the basis of state owuership, the state to determine all wages and all prices. V here is the f reedom in such a government? A communist 's one vvho vearns for an equal división of unequal earnings. This government has wlthstood the dangers of war and the temptatioiis of peace and wliat it has been it is now, free in its broader sense, morally, socially and politically. Miss Haunah M. Anderson, of Greene, lowa, read an essay entitled ' We Girls'' i n which she contrasted the various limita of a girl's life of two mndred years ago with her greater opportunities of to-day. Now the trades atid professions are open . No restraint is laid upon the girls iu the number of occupations which she may enter. Miss Anderson spoke earnestly of the necessity for eaeh girl finding the place for which she was most atted. "We must find our posit.ons aid üll them. We must not crowd into professions for which we have no ability aud end life a failure." Miss Lizzie M. Bailey, of this city, spoke of the Law of the Conventional- the law flxed by a larger legislature than our political bodies, meuibership in which was conüned neither to wealth nor poDiilarity but which consisted, in f act, of the whole people. The essay was a well wntten production and was received with favor by the audience. After more music by the Chequamegons, Miss Nellie Cutler, of Fisher, read her essay eutitled, "Root vs. Blossom." The beautif ui blossoms spring froru the bidden root. Mental beauty is above all other beauty. The advancement of the world deüends upon it. Character is the root. life the blossom . No person can live for any good purpose without possessing the foundation of good character. When we see the blossom we often forget the root, and so when we see the life, we forget the character. The truest politeness comes f rom the root of siucerity. The beautiful character surpasses all other ornamenta for they peiïsh. Donald O. Douglas spoke f rom the text "Wanted-Men." After describing the creation he said that to-day there was a demand for men of great intellect and moral courage. We need more men in the faetory and shop, behind the counter and in the countiug room, men who will be fouud in the family circle rather than in the beer garden. Wanted - busines3 men, who were honest, honest bank cashiers, who were getting scarce in this country. Wanted- bank directors who don't leave all the details to the casliiers. Wanted- fewer sharpers, more honest men. Now we ünd instead of the Bible the pernicious Sunday newspaper. Wanted- wiser men in Washington, men in the senate and house who will do right without regard to the coming election, men iu the state governrnent who have brains enongh to draw up laws wiiich will hold, men in couucil chambera who will not place their own opinions above legislative laws. Wanted- men in everv calling of life. Miss Hattie V. Haviland, of Ann Arbor, read a well written essay on "Liberty 's Gift to the Old World." Alter the Uhequamegons had played Sollin's Demon Galop, Austin C. Gormley, the orator of the class, spoke enthusiastically concerning the new west. It seems strange thatso few of the founders of the republic had any idea of the vast west that at the time of the founding of the government it was thought that not for a hundred years would the population west of the Alleghanies demand attention. To a j great number to-ctey, the west is the west of thirty years ago. The great west of to-dav lies bevond the Mississippi. lts useful laud is twice that east of the MississVppi. Already it surpasses iu mineral wealth, as it is destined to surpass in ;agricultural pro' ducts and eventually iti manufactures. It is destinad to have twice the population of the west of to-day . One day it I will be agiant. It isnot only a larger but in most respects a better New England. Sectional feelings here give place to the love of the whole. Freedom is ever sought io the recesses of the mountains. He elosed with a quotation concerning the future when "the whnle nation will b9 a plural unit. with one constitution, one liberty and one destiny." Miss Matilda A. Neumann. of this city, read an essay on "The Mission of the Bells" in adecidedly musical voiee and with good elocutionary effect. Memones of the dear old bells are woven with the human heart in childhood. As ive grow older their charm still clinss to them. Miss Xeumanu described the deep melodious bells of a perfect Sabbath morning, the bridal bells for a young couple on a beautiful day in May, the bells tolling mournfully that teil of a tired child, home at last. the clamorous flre bells and the bell in couutries f ar over the sea, with tae beautiful mission to perform every evening of calling to prayer. Fred C. Kent, of Dundee. spoile on tile subject, "(ireat Ueeasions rnake Great Men" aud Droved tlns by illustration. Luther, he said, did not make the Keformation. That vas actually iu progress at the time o f Luther's birth. He was lifted into leadership by a period of revolution and owes his greatness to the Reforrnation, which phenomeually developed his greatness. The French revolution gave Napoleon his opportunity. Without the revolution, Washington's militarv career wonld have been a very uniinportant one, as would have been his career as statesman. Soit was with Lincoln, Grant and many other men developed by the late war. Great occasions make great men. Miss Roba Pulcipher, of Ann Arbor, read un essay on "Tongues'' describing the tongue, hung in the middle which wagged at both ends; the scoldin? tongue, the cause of so mueh unhappiness, the sarcastic tongue, which flnds the weak part in our armors; the mean tougue, which brings out our most conspicuous failing; the witty tongue which delights and amuses all; the pleasant tougue, which fsmooths the rough corners in Ufe, aud the most posverful tongue of all, the eloquent tongue. The orchestra played an ''Expectation Song" aud David McMorran, of Port Hurón, auswered the quesüon, "Should Science be made Popular?'7 in the aflirmative. He referred to the popular misstatements so often made by lecturers. The ultimate aim of all knowledge is to benefit mankind, so that one shouid endeavor to make that knowledge popular. The speaker referred to the interdependeuce of the sciences and the necessity of popular enlightenment upon them. The topic of the oratiou by Frederick B. Uyder, of this city was, "Commisiouer Atkins' Order." When the new administration carne into power and Atkins was appointed Iudian commissiouer, he turned his attention to the best weans of conducting the schools for educating Indians. After consultation he issued an order that in government schools everything shouid be taught in the English language except that Indian words might be used to explain English words. In missionary schools all secular instructions were to be given in the English language. The speaker defended the order from various attacks made upon itaudspoke highly of its wisdom. There were sixty flve distinct languages aud two huuáred dialects amoug the Indians. Miss M. Eloise Walker, of St. Johns, read an essay "Guilty or not Guilty." which in well chosen words traced the progress of trials by various ordeals throush trials by duel to tíials by jury. The orchestra played Overture Comique, and Prof. Perry then presented diplomas to the seventy two graduates of the school whose ñames were publisned in the Argus last week.