EIGHTEENTH ANNUAL COMMENCEMENT OF THE LEON HIGH SCHOOL

SCHOENERT, SCHENCK, SPRINGER, MOORE, HASKETT, ALBAUGH, ARNOLD, ALLEN, SPRINGER, THOMPSON, CLAPP, OGDEN, SMITH, CONWELL, JOHNSON, HAMILTON, OSBORN, PARIS, BOWMAN, HORNER, JACKSON, AVERY, CARMEAN, PARRISH, DARRAH

Posted By: Nancee(McMurtrey)Seifert (email)
Date: 1/7/2002 at 15:50:21

Leon Reporter
May 30, l895

On Thursday and Friday evenings, May 23 and
24, l895, the Eighteenth
Annual Commencement of the Leon High School
took place in Jordan's Opera
Hall.

The class of l895 consisted of nine boys and
twelve girls, by far the
largest class graduated from the school since
its establishment in l877.

The program consisted of orations by each
member of the class,
interspersed with music under the management
of the musical director,
Prof. M. Schoenert.

The exercises were opened by invocation by
Rev. Hughes of the M.E.
Church followed by an instrumental duet by
MISS MAUDE SCHENCK and MR.
ALLIE SCHOENERT.

After which:

WILLIAM J. SPRINGER stepped before the
audience and in a clear voice
told us of the "Growth of Americanism" from
the time the Pilgrim Fathers
landed at Plymouth, finding a wilderness
inhabited only by savages, down
to the present day. Showing how tyranny and
despotism, when arrayed
against a people whose very existence is a
monument to personal liberty,
were overthrown by earnest effort born of
principle, and that a
government of the people, by the people, for
the people, fosters those
things which, rightly applied, are a blessing
to humanity.

The next on the program was:

MISS HALLIE MOORE who was tastefully attired
in a gown of cream
Swansdown, decorated with ribbons. MISS
MOORE presented her subject
"Stepping Stones", in a very pleasing manner,
teaching us that we cannot
hope to reach the summit of the mountain of
success except by earnest
and persistent effort. We are to remember
that every failure and
discouragement we meet and overcome is
another step on the upward road,
and that we can attain no lasting greatness
or power without the
harmonious development of both our mental and
our physical natures.

MISS HATTIE HASKETT wore a dress of cream
colored silk and carried a
bouquet of lovely rose buds. Her costume
accorded well with her
subject, "Adornements". In speaking of the
different costumes provided
us for different occasions, MISS HASKETT
reminded us that we must not
judge a man by the clothes he wears as some
of our greatest men, both in
heart and mind, were those whose ideas of
dress were quite primitive. We
are not however to neglect the study of
nature and art, as all that is
beautiful is elevating and ennobling. Many
of the rarest gems require
patient and careful burnishing to produce the
brilliancy that will
gladden the eye and heart. So in our lives:
"When souls are being tried
and ripened. God is hewing out the pillars
of his temple."

The next oration was entitled "Clouds
Lingering Yet", the speaker was:

MISS GRACE ALBAUGH who was becomingly dressed
in pure white mull, so
appropriate for the occasion. She
interestingly portrayed to us a
thunder-storm and the clearing, noticing the
clouds lingering near the
horizon; then comparing the scene with the
human life in which storms of
trouble and disappointment break over us and
for a season we are hidden
by the bitter clouds of darkness and despair,
but if faithful and true
to our better self we may see the clouds
disperse and the sunlight of
hope burst through to gladden and cheer us,
yet there will be some
lingering clouds--trials awaiting us in the
future to remind us "that
there is only one perfect place where clouds
do not linger."

HENRY S. ARNOLD spoke to us concerning "The
Mission of the Middle
Class", which we can best review by quoting:
"The absence of a great
middle class is the evidence of national
imperfection. Behold the giant
form of the Russian Empire! What an example
of national decay! How
degraded are her masses! Ruled by a despot,
inhabited by the
uneducated, there she stands locked in the
prison cells of degredation.
Turn from this scene of turmoil and view the
prosperous Republic of
America, the United States, with her refined
and intelligent masses and
her departments of government in harmony with
each other." Since early
all great reforms spring from the middle
class it is our duty as a
nation to "look well to the middle class",
thus developing intelligent
and loyal citizens whose love of country
shall be her safeguard to
future prosperity.

MISS STELLA ALLEN wore pale blue silk,
trimmed with ribbons and lace.
Her subject was well presented. She pictured
for us some of "Life's
Lessons", charging us to be warned and
profited by the experience of
others, remembering that our lines have a
direct influence upon those
with whom we are associated, though we may
not realize to what extent;
therefore let us strive to do all the good we
can knowing that our
reward is sure. It may be that we will meet
with reverses, for "success
brings with it a penalty, undeserved, but
certain, and a penalty that is
oft times cruel in its operations", yet "we
shall reap if we faint not".

The next oration was delivered by:

MISS MARY SPRINGER who was looking her best
in a handsome toilet of
cream silk and tulle. She told us of some of
the great achievements of
the past which when proposed were pronounced
follies by the world, but
by the persistent effort of their advocates
were proven to be a
benefaction to all those who come under their
influence. Not only to
man are the grand "possibilities" of life
open, for woman, since the
founding of our great republic has made rapid
strides, now being
permitted to fill many positions of honor and
trust. We have only to
reach out into the world and demand
recognition, for the world respects
those who help themselves.

EDWARD THOMPSON had chosen for his subject
"The Value of Emotion",
describing some of the uses of man's
emotional nature. First, as one of
the distinctive elements which separate man
from the brute creation. A
man is what his emotion makes him, either
high and noble or low and
groveling. For it is "Emotion that nerves
the hand, steadies the eye,
stimulates the brain and fills the soul with
an enthusiasm that sweeps
everything before it", without which we would
be unable to appreciate
the grandeur of nature or art--The greater
the more magnanimous the soul
of man, the deeper his emotions and; "He who
smothers his emotions
smothers his chances for greatness."

MISS CLAUDIE CLAPP was very becomingly
dressed in cream albatross,
decorated with ribbons and eloquently
declared "The Kingdom of Women" to
be not only the home, though this is
recognized to be her grandest
domain where by refining and softening
influence she may instill into
those around her the love for that which is
noble and elevating, but
every position in life when nobility of
thought, mind and purpose are
desired. Ever recognized as man's superior
in virtue and morality and
by many of our greatest men said to be his
intellectual equal, surely
she is fitted to become the queen of any
station in life, either social,
domestic or political.

JOHN OGDEN was the last speaker on Thursday
evening, and the opinions he
advanced in regard to "The Teacher" were
certainly endorsed by all those
who heard him. In speaking of our great
government and the many
nationalities here represented he proved to
us that it must be the duty
of every teacher, aside from the usual
curriculum, to instill into the
hearts and minds of the children the love of
country and loyalty to her
flag, thus ennabling them to become fitted
for the honorable position
every American may hold, that of an
intelligent citizen of the United
States. In a large measure this education
must come from the teacher as
so many of the parents, among the working
class at least, are of foreign
birth and unable to speak our language, their
sympathies largely with
their mother country. "The whole future
condition of the rising
generation, their mental, social and moral
interests are involved in the
character and work of the teacher." But
"left alone to work by himself,
cheered by no word of approval, encouraged by
no friend, the best
teacher finds his energies weaken and his
spirits grow dull." Then help
your children's teachers, encourage them;
kind words are an inspiration
to us all and no one feels their need more
than the weary teacher.

MISS MINNIE SMITH was first on program Friday
evening. She wore cream
albatross decorated with ribbon and roses,
and interested us for a short
time by speaking of "The Girls of America",
noticing the distinguishing
features of the girls of the north and the
south, also the advancement
of female education from the time girls were
grudgingly admitted to the
lowest grades of the public schools to the
present when not only are the
higher institutions of learning open to them
but a large majority of the
teachers in the public schools are women.

JAMES CONWELL spoke to us of "Patriotism" as
the key to national wealth
and prosperity, the noblest impulse of man's
nature, while false
patriotism is the most dangerous calamity
that can befall any country.
"The patriot, God's greatest gift to a nation
is indeed one of nature's
noblemen." Then let patriotism be instilled
into the hearts and minds
of every child both in the home and at
school, teaching them to so love
their country and honor its starry emblem
that no sacrifice will seem
too great when the welfare of the nation is
at stake.

MISS EDITH JOHNSON wore a dress of pink silk
on this occasion. Her
oration was entitled "Character". In her
discourse she remarked the
influence which men of good character have
upon the world, showing that
all lasting good must eminate from those who,
not only pretend to have,
but really possess a true and noble
character, and that the value of a
good character cannot be estimated, neither
can it be bought except by
the payment of a life devoted to that which
will elevate and ennoble.

The next on the program was:

MISS MAUD SCHENCK who was dressed in pea
green albatross and chiffon and
carried a bouquet of lovely roses. Her
subject "What is a Man?" was
looked at from several standpoints and
answered in as many ways. Some
declaring man to be "a gardener", others
assuring us that he is "a
good-for-nothing-gambler", "an actor" or "a
student", while MISS SCHENCK
asserts that man is a pilgrim, a sojourner
and the earth the inn where
he reposes for a season before resuming his
way.

ORVILLE HAMILTON had chosen the character of
"John Brown". The subject
was unique but well discussed, showing that
he understood the elements
of true courage. MR. HAMILTON admitting that
John Brown committed the
high crime of treason against his country;
showed that it was, in a
great measure, condoned for by the holy
purpose actuating him--of
benefiting humanity and liberating four
million people from the bonds of
slavery.

MISS PEARL OSBORN was next on the program.
She wore a very becoming
dress of corn colored Swansdown and presented
her subject "The Power of
Thought" in a commendable manner. Every
person has thoughts, plans and
purposes, and as a "man thinketh so is he",
therefore it is necessary
for us, if we wish our lives to be in harmony
with the Divine will, to
guard well our thoughts and acts. The way in
which this production was
worded showed that the author was well
acquainted with the subject under
discussion.

MISS NANNIE PARIS in her discourse, entitled
"Cast Down but not
Destroyed" showed us how all great reforms
and inventions, when first
proposed, meet with the scoffs and jeers of
the people and only by
indomitable will and courage were the leaders
enabled to withstand the
discouragements and persecutions, which
surely follow. "And if it be
necessary for us in this generation to lay
down our lives to advance or
enlighten the world in any way may we
regardless of the frowns and
discouragements step upward and onward, and
although our ideas may be
disbelieved and cast down they will not be
destroyed." MISS PARIS wore
a very becoming costume of cream Lansdown
decorated with ribbons and
lace.

EDWARD O. MOORE in his discussion of
"Ambition" spoke of its being the
power by which men rise to eminence and
distinction. Ambition, it is
that which stimulates within us the desires
for something better and
nobler than that already achieved, and by
constant and earnest
effort--"each individual may accomplish at
last some worthy purpose."
Beware, however, of vain ambition as it is a
means of deceit and leads
sooner or later to ignomy and dishonor.
"Nothing is pure but Heaven;
let that be the ideal of our aspirations."

MISS ETHEL BOWMAN was daintily attired in a
pure white gown and brought
to our minds some "Voices of the Past"
showing us that a little word
carelessly spoken or an unconscious act may
have an influence for good
or evil, to what extent none of us can
determine. Our lives influence
those around us and this influence will live
after us. "Dignity, rank
and wealth are worthless, but moral character
has an immortality that
nothing can destroy; that traverses the
universe and leaves an
influence."

The last oration, "Brutus" was very well
delivered by:

EARNEST HORNER in which he gave an
interesting sketch of the public life
of Brutus. In a peculiar style he acquits
him of the crime of
assassinating Caeser because of his desire to
benefit the Roman people,
by preventing Caesar from becoming king.
Although his act hastened the
danger he hoped to avert, "even the very
enemies of Brutus would say he
had no end or aim from first to last but to
restore to the Roman people
their ancient government." No greater
tribute was ever paid to man than
that which his arch enemy, Mark Antony,
bestowed on brutus when he said:

"This was the noblest Roman of them all;
All the conspirators, save only he,
Did that they did in envy of great Caesar;
He, only, in a generous, honest thought
Of common good to all, made one of them.
His life was gentle; and the elements
So mix'd in him, that nature might stand up,
And say to all the world, "This was a man."

FRANK JACKSON was a member of the class of
'95 but on account of
sickness was unable to prepare an oration.
He was however, permitted to
graduate with the class.

After a ladies' quartet composed of MISSES
AVERY, CARMEAN, PARRISH, and
SCHENCK, Prof. SAM L. DARRAH thanked the
audience for their courtesy in
preserving order during the necessarily
lengthy exercises, then made a
short but appropriate address to the class
urging them to do the best
that within them lies and become noble young
men and noble young women,
thereby receiving the "commendation of men
and the reward of Heaven."

MR. S.C. PENNIWELL, President of the School
Board in a few words
presented to the class their diplomas thus
severing their connection
with the Leon High School, except as members
of the Alumni.

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Copied by Nancee(McMurtrey)Seifert
January 6, 2002

*I was so completely moved by the wisdom and
intelligence of these young
people. Nancee