Iowa Old Press
Alton Democrat, June 6, 1903
Orange City Public School.
The school board has selected two teachers. Miss Anna Evans of Hull takes
Mr. Padghams place. W. T. Robinson of Knoxville , Tennessee will teach Latin
and English. Clarence Tanton has resigned and his place is yet to fill.
The high school graduating exercises were held Thursday night and were
largely attended. The graduates were Misses Dena Vander Berg, Mary Wormser,
Jennie Synhorst. Rhea Wilcox, Retta Vos, Martha Lenderink, Cornelia
Muilenburg and Henry Vaade Waa and John Vander Laan.
"THE CLASS OF 1903"
The graduating exercises of the Alton high school occurred at the opera
house last Friday night The decorators were not the most elaborate but were
considered the neatest yet seen on a like occasion. The stage was covered
with white trimmed in purple---- the class colors. The front of the stage
was a mass of plants and flowers and could scarcely have been more artistic
considering the materials at hand. Above the stage appeared the class motto
"No Battle No Victory." The house was just comfortably filled. There was no
crowding and no disorder. The new idea of charging a small admission fee
proved a success. It eliminated many of those who come not from interest in
the program but merely to see the crowd. The program opened at eight-twenty
with the singing of the "Te Deum by a chorus of male and female voices. It
was very well rendered considering that only school pupils participated.
Miss Stickney presided at the piano and is to be commended on this number
There were twelve girls and four boys in the chorus.
The other musical numbers on the program were all by school talent and of
necessity weak from a musical standpoint-however pleasing they may have been
to those most directly interested. The general public would have appreciated
some really good musical numbers and they would bare helped out the program
wonderfully. It is difficult to discuss high school orations sod essays.
There is and always has been and always will be a certain sameness about
them. A lecture by a mature mind would be much more instructive and
entertaining. The graduating oration tells nothing of what has been done in
the past by the pupil and gives no idea of what be may accomplish in the
future. It is merely a task set and performed without advantage to anyone.
The orations Friday night were up to the average — no better and no worse.
The first was by Will Stronks on the choosing of career and dealt with the
necessity of having a fixed goal and working toward it despite
discouragements and Handicaps. The mere seeking of money and the disdaining
of a lowly start were decried as unmanly. The master of his life work was
eulogized as the one to emulate because he is the one for whom the world is
ready to make room. Miss Jeannette Hyink spoke of the silent influences that
go to form character. The two great national avenues through which they come
are the eye and ear. Mother love shapes the plastic mind of the child by a
thousand silent influences. Environment adds its share without our knowledge
oftentimes and more often with it. The moonlight upon a lake has an
influence over the composer that inspires a great sonata. The poet drinks in
and reproduces in his poems the silent influences extracted from birds and
flowers and the greater beauties of nature. The thought was very good and
quite well expressed. American literature was discussed by Miss Josie
Fredriks. It was traced from the early chroniclers of pioneer days who kept
diaries of their daily lives which were later woven into history. The
contempt for our early writers in England, the lack of historic setting for
American romance, the strenuous life of the pioneers which kept the most of
them from pursuing literary lines were all woven into a very creditable
groundwork. The early writers and their followers the literary field were
touched upon followed by a brief discussion of present day books and authors
----their aims and methods and futures. Otto Lieb's oration was timely. It
was along lines that are discussed daily in the periodicals of the land. The
world has a standing advertisement for men. The great industries are looking
for men who make opportunities instead of waiting for them. Many leaders are
needed today when one was needed years ago. The world is full of
opportunities —not for the college youth too nice to work but for the youth
who is willing to start at the bottom. Honesty and intelligence and industry
were never more in demand than today. The program closed with the
presentation of diplomas by Principal Meyer.
The unfortunate rigidity and absence of gestures always noted on such
occasions was observed through out all the orations. It is a fault of our
school system. It teaches nothing but books. At nine in the morning the
teacher shouts–"Nose in your book there!" –and the pupil obeys. At recesses
and noons the nose is taken out of the book for a brief season. The schools
teach nothing of how to use your knowledge or how to convey it to others or
how to talk in public or how to be natural in the use of your educated
faculties. The graduation oration is generally the one oration of the
pupil’s life. The one supreme effort. It is approached without previous
experience by any of the mental or physical facilities that should be called
into play. Hence it is a painful operation for the pupil and his bearers and
he gets through it with a sigh of relief and vows secretly he will never
again try to speak in public. Why not teach pupils to use their voice in
this great land where the human voice is daily heard moving multitudes in
the various walks of life? Why should a high school graduate not be able
after eight or ten years education to address an audience with as much
freedom as he would harangue a gang of rooters on the baseball field? Get
the young American nose out of the musty book about half the time and let
him tell intelligently what he learned the other half.
Alton Democrat, June 20, 1903
St Mary’s Notes
The following pupils were neither tardy nor absent during the year:
Elizabeth Haxmeier, Otto Kettler, Apolloaia Henkel, Seraphine Tritz, John
Bonneville, Ottilia Even, Anna Even, Roman Haxmeier, Veronica Henkels, Viola
Goebel, Clara Goetzinger, Apollonia Kramer, Otto Kashmitter, Mary Gerst,
Frank Kettler, Lizzie Tritz, Vincent Tritz, William Gerst, Theodore
Haxmeier.
St. Mary's school closes a successful term today - Friday— with special
services in the church and a little picnic on the school grounds. Two
hundred forty-eight pupils were enrolled. William Gerst and Mathilda
Kurtenacker are the first graduates since the higher branches were
introduced. Both passed a successful examination and received a teacher's
certificate from the county superintendent.
Next Sunday at three and eight o'clock the pupils of St. Mary's will give an
entertainment at the school hall. The program is as follows :
Graduates-William Gent, Mathilda Kurtenackqr.
Class Motto—For God and Country
Class Colors—White and Cream.
Chorus—Come, Where the Lilies Bloom. "
Welcome—William Gerst
The Village Band—Piano Trio—Mary Goebel, Dora Henrich, Mary Leverman
Der miszvergnuegte Holzhacker—Comedy in two acts.
Personen:
Herr von Silberfeld -----------William Gent
Cerwin, ein Jaeger ------------Theo Henkels
Menalk, Holzhacker ----------Aloysiua Lieb
Mopsulus. sein Sohn---------- Dominic Haxmeier
Hans, ein Schaefer ------------Julius Bamberg
Sepp, ein Schaefer ------------Theo Haxmeier
Bauernbuben:
The Race Course—Piano Duet—Mary Leverman, Mary Goebel.
Tableaux of the Wise and Foolish Virgins —Twenty-one Girls.
Education and Patriotism — Very Rev. F. J. Brune.
The Reception March—Piano Trio—Anna Haxmeier, Ida Henkels Caroline
Kaschmitter. Farewell-Mathilda Kurtenacker
Home, Sweet Home— Instrumental
Aloysius Lieb---------------- Mandolin
William Gert----------------- Guitar
Theodore Haxmeier---------Guitar
Clara Schroeder--------------Guitar
Viola Goebel-----------------Guitar
Regina Biever---------------- Guitar
Mary Goebel -----------------Piano
Presentation of Diplomas—Very Rev F. J. Brune.
Chorus — "Frohe Kinder" or 'Happy Children."
Admission will be twenty-five cents. Children ten cents.