Ilion High School - Class of 1906

Ilion Citizen - June 21, 1906

COMMENCEMENT, 1906

Article 2

COMMENCEMENT, 1906

ILION HIGH SCHOOL SENDS FORTH ANOTHER FINE CLASS

ILION HIGH SCHOOL SENDS

Twenty-four Graduates Join the Alumni of Our High Ranking High School
A Gathering of Large Interest and Marked Success

Commencement Day 1906 was as beautiful as the most exacting or anxious could have wished; clouds disappeared, sunshine followed storm, a delicious summer fragrance filled the air and an entire absence of dust combined with graceful coolness to make the weather conditions perfect. Days of preparation and anxious toil had come to an end; the eventful day had arrived and arrived with smiles and congratulations.

The Happy Graduates.

Twenty-four young ladies and gentlemen comprise the class of 1906; they have completed prescribed courses of study as follows:

Classical -
Ruth J. Hakes,
Julia Kunze,
Woodbern Remington.

Science -
Harry Williamson.

Latin -
Joseph W. Carney,
Zella Davis,
Matthew D. Harris,
Lillian M. House,
John O'Connell,
Henry H. Swift,
Edward O'Brien,
Martha Yetman.

English -
Ray Arnold,
Ruth Chattaway,
Blanche M. Foley,
Gladys King,
Blanche E. Tucker,
Edna M. Pickett,
Elizabeth A. McKeon,
Sheldon B. Shepard,
Vera A. Swift.

Regents Course -
Evelyn A. Lobdell,
Flossie E. Martens,
Marcia Zoller.

Class Honors.

The announcement of class honors by Prof. Warren was received with long continued applause; Woodbern Remington won the honor of valedictorian with the highest standing in the class, .909; an honor and a standing the more conspicuous because won while completing the classical course. The second highest standing was .899, earned by Henry H. Swift, making him salutatorian. The generous applause given these announcements were sufficient evidence of the approval of the awards.

In point of scholarship it would not have been hard for the class to have made a better record, their average standing for the entire class during the entire course being only .827; if part of the energy put into the class yell had been put into daily application to the school work in hand, the class of 1906 would have made a far more favorable record. There is a place in the Ilion High School for a school fraternity which will be in fact a literary fraternity and which will make scholarship its first object; membership in such a fraternity would be an honor; the emphasis such a fraternity would put on scholarship would tone up every other member of the class; and a healthy rivalry over class work could be endured in an educational institution. Ilion High School needs such a fraternity.

The Occasion.

The commencement exercises were held in the opera house, Tuesday evening, June 19. The stage was handsomely decorated with the class colors and potted plants; overhead hung the class motto,"Durch kampf zum sieg," "Through battle to victory." The faculty and Board of Education shared the platform with the graduates. Wilcox's orchestra delighted the audience with its rendition of music. The opera house was crowded to the doors and every speaker was followed by a large number of intensely interested relatives and friends. The work of the speakers was uniformly good and deserved the praise and appreciation freely given. The exercises opened with prayer by Rev. A. S. Brown.

Ruth H. Chattaway

The deliberate and distinct enunciation of the first speaker, Ruth H. Chattaway, was a pleasure; her subject, "The Services of Benjamin Franklin," was one all delight to hear discussed, and her eulogy of the great services rendered in philosophy, science, literature, statesmanship and diplomacy by "the many-sided Franklin" was well prepared and well given.

Ruth J. Hakes

The patriotic chord was touched again by Miss Hakes in her comparison of "Marathon and Saratoga"; she graphically described the great conflict on the plains of Marathon but affirmed that Saratoga meant more to America than Marathon had meant to Athens; she urged her contention with historical citation and eloquent argument and was heartily applauded as she closed her address.

Henry Harper Swift

"The Need of Good Country Roads" is a subject hardly calculated to thrill the soul and fire the imagination but Mr. Swift spoke with the rising spirit of the true orator and drove his arguments home with a force and vigor which compelled attention; his success was not in his subject but in his strong treatment and his fine delivery. Mr. Swift emphasized the importance of transportation as related to the mammoth business transactions and wide intercourse of the century: he landed the endowment of libraries, colleges and churches: but he carried his audience with him in affirming that the farmer can bequeath nothing more beneficial than good country roads. Mr. Swift scored.

Martha C. Yetman

The national spirit already twice touched received a third and thrilling touch from Miss Martha C. Yetman in her fine treatment of "The Immortal deeds of a Battle Ship." The Oregon, the pride of the American navy, was her subject; 14,000 mile voyage from San Francisco to Santiago, the always present possibility of being obliged to fight alone the entire Spanish fleet, the glorious and leading part taken by the Oregon in the final and decisive conflict, were sketched with graphic description and told with rare the effectiveness; she deserves the compliment paid her as "an artist in descriptive writing"; her gestures were graceful, timely and appropriate, and her manner and temperament so truly oratorical that the "Young Webster" of 1906 would have to defend his laurels if Miss Yetman had more frequent opportunity to meet the gentlemen of the class upon the platform.

Edward O'Brien

The value of persistent and consistent good work had a splendid exemplification in Edward O'Brien, who delighted his audience with his fine treatment of the "The Power of Oratory." Mr. O'Brien has for four years been making a record as a public speaker; he has been aided by a fine voice and a natural aptitude for debate and declamation but he has added to these natural qualifications the hardest and most persistent kind of hard work; work tells; no commencement effort can score its best without it; Mr. O'Brien came to the platform having behind him the record of a most enviable series of platform successes; he had a once the favor of the audience but he had earned it; before he spoke a work he had their confident expectation, but he had paid for it in the cold cash of honest work and faithful practice. Work Tells. Mr. O'Brien is getting his pay. His oration was a fine effort and the audience applauded until he was obliged to gratify them by bowing his thanks.

Gladys King

The fact that Miss King is a member of the editor's family disqualifies him from sitting in judgement upon her treatment of "The Value of the Newspaper;" he was, however pleased with her work of which the Utica Press says: "Miss King is evidently an intelligent reader and keen critic; she felt her subject, exhibited considerable eloquence and easily won her hearers' sympathy."

Woodbern E. Remington

"Russia and the Far East" received from Mr. Remington most considerate treatment; his study of eastern conditions did not allow him to bow to the public antipathy which fails to appreciate the slow, steady and irresistible movement of the Slav towards eastern supremacy; he dwelt upon the slow but never ceasing movement of Russia toward the open sea and the eastern control and declared that diplomacy would yet unite Russia and Japan in fraternal relations which would give Russia the eastern supremacy she is persistently seeking.

Elizabeth A. McKeon

It was an anomaly that the last speaker, fresh, young, plump and beautiful should nevertheless be the pessimist of the class; not until the last speaker did the class drop into the dolefuls but Miss McKeon answered with a "yes," the question, "Is Patriotism Decreasing"; she argued well and along familiar lines but after her well delivered oration had been given and most heartily applauded she and all the audience still believed that true patriotism was never so deeply rooted in American hearts as to-day. Miss McKeon pictured America passing from Patriotism to Ambition, from Ambition to Luxury, down ever down.

It was a common remark that the whole class did exceedingly well and that their average as commencement speakers was exceedingly good. Careful training was evident in every case and with the gentlemen of the class the hand of Prof. Springstead was manifest. Ilion High School should appreciate highly the fine work Prof. Springstead has done in elocution and oratorical training; he gets results; he goes after them and keeps after them until he gets them; with Springstead a poke in the air is not a gesture; and he dares to thrust his pupils out into a manner which is large and free and which abandoning the unmeaning and mechanical and restricted motions of common oratory, launches Springstead's students into a strong, intelligent and unhackneyed use of arm and voice which stirs the heart and reaches the hearer. It is forceful public address: it is true oratorical bearing. We are not quite in love with the continual waltz from one side of the stage to the other which is required; a continual side stepping adds nothing to public address; Prof. Warren needed no double shuffle to carry home his forceful words; he stood in his place and with the free, energetic, enthusiastic manner of a true orator poured his words upon his hearers; side stepping would have been a positive detraction from his effectiveness in our judgment Prof. Springstead is doing a most admirable work for the young men in elocution.

Prof. Warren's Address

The surprise of the evening was the address of Prof. Warren to the graduating class. To most of the audience this was the first opportunity they had had to hear the new principal in public address; his reputation as a forceful debater and fluent speaker was well known but few anticipated the splendid words and force manner which charmed class and audience alike. Prof. Warren is an exceptionally strong speaker; he has the true oratorical fire and his general bearing his strength of thought and strength of gesture, make him one of the best public speakers we have heard. His words were full of sense; his periods were polished and the unquenchable fire of oratorical genius glowed in them and burned their truth into the hearts of all who heard.

Diplomas

The diplomas were presented to the graduates by Mr. A. H. Sumner for the Board of Education. The benediction was pronounced by Rev. C. H. French. Congratulations were freely given, and the Class of 1906, with well won honors and happy hearts, turned the last leaf in one of the most delightful books of lie.

The Baccalaureate Sermon was preached Sunday evening June 17, by Rev. S. J. Greenfield at the Methodist church; the discourse was an impressive address and was highly complimented.

The annual meeting of the High School Alumni was held Wednesday evening at Harter's Hall and was largely attended; the banquet was elegant, old acquaintance was renewed and all enjoyed the occasion. There was a short business session, followed by a series of informal addresses on the general subject, "Professions to be Considered by Student in Selecting his Life Work", Frank Schmidt, as regards "Law", Superintendent of Schools F. D. Warren "Pedagogy" and Rev. Calvin French "The Ministry".

(*Note - John Donlin and Olive Hallenbeck were missing from this article. )