Part 2 (1/2)
Then we studied till (I mean it) e'en the paper on the wall, Each door, and sash, and picture frame, and objects one and all, In strokes and angles fairly danced before our very eyes, And in our dreams they haunted us in every form and size.
Next in their turn the vowel sounds,--the symbols, dash and dot, With rules and regulations charging us ”Forget-me-not.”
Wish you could have heard us sound them. It was amusing, too; Seemed like talking Chinese language,--ah, [=a], ee; aw, o, oo.
Then came the hooks with many crooks to puzzle and perplex; They were so very obstinate, and would be sure to vex; For while we thought we had them right, they were just turned about, And when we came to read them, we could scarcely make them out.
The circles didn't seem so hard; for we could then detect There were still new things coming that we did the least expect; So prepared our minds to meet them and take them as they came; At last we'd conquered everyone and knew them all by name.
But I suppose it is not right to tell tales out of school, Our teacher will be saying that it is against the rule; I have told you just a few of our trials by the way, But it was not all so dreadful, I am very glad to say.
For we really loved our study; were fascinated, too, And of the pleasant memories there linger not a few.
Well, examination over, then came the ”tug of war”
To apply the various principles that we had learned before.
And oh! the work we made of it; we tried to run a race To see who could write the fastest, and then to keep our place.
But study and toil are over; at last the race is run, And we have gathered here to-night to say, ”Our work is done.”
Members of this Society, our friends so kind and true, G.o.d bless you! 'Tis a grand and n.o.ble work you aim to do; Accept our heartfelt thanks, for it is all that we can give; The knowledge we have gathered here will ever, while we live Go with us, as with brighter skies our way in life to cope Than in our dreams and fancies we had ever dared to hope.
And you, our teachers faithful, tried, we will not soon forget The many pleasant hours that together we have spent; How often by a kindly word you've helped to lead us on, When we were nigh discouraged, and totally cast down; And by your earnest zeal and aid we have, from day to day, Gone onward, and we thank you; it is all that we can say.
And we cla.s.smates, while we truly, yes, earnestly, regret To leave the little room up yonder ”where the angels met,”
Can now rejoice together, for it has not been in vain, That we've worked hard; yet we have won the prize we sought to gain.
Valedictory Address
BY MISS A. A. LEWIS.
_Cla.s.s of '88._
DEAR FRIENDS AND CLa.s.sMATES:
It is a somewhat sad yet pleasant duty which devolves upon me this evening, that of saying farewell. For, to a cla.s.s whose members have studied together for so long as we have and which is found to be so h.o.m.ogeneous as this cla.s.s has been, a farewell is always sad. When, in October last, we entered upon our course of study, we could not look forward to this hour with any degree of composure, but, day by day, as time pa.s.sed on we found ourselves longing for the end, yet dreading the parting. But, to-night, we derive considerable pleasure from the fact that we have prepared ourselves for something which will have a strong influence upon our future lives. This night may be called a real commencement for many of us who have just left school where we have learned the ordinary English branches, and are now learning to apply our former knowledge to earn our living in a way that will prove both pleasant and profitable.
In retrospect: How hard the first few lessons appeared! We hardly credited the declaration that a time would come when we should be able to recite the alphabet backward and forward and in every conceivable way, but we soon discovered that the subsequent lessons were so much more difficult than the first, that these seem now to us as very simple. As our knowledge increased, we discovered also that each lesson followed so logically upon the previous one, that it made it much easier to understand. There were hooks to the right of us, and hooks to the left of us, and with these and circles, medial and final, approximation and ”con” dot, our dreams resembled a kaleidoscope rather than those of school girls. When traveling on the cars we would often see a person with a note book and pencil, and experience a fellow feeling, knowing that they had trod the same path as we were treading. Occasionally, in going home after a lesson, two of us comparing notes would find that we, in turn, were objects of interest to people in the train, and that they gazed with wonder and amus.e.m.e.nt upon the strange-looking characters with which our note books were filled. Then, when it came to our home study, although those whom we asked to dictate to us did so with great alacrity at first, they soon found reading the same thing over twenty or thirty times, to say the least, monotonous. Yet we must say that our friends often put aside their own preferences, knowing the daily practice was for our good. We will not dwell upon the loss of pleasures that we have forfeited in order to be present at the cla.s.s and to spend the requisite number of hours at study. But now that we have reached the desired haven, we feel fully repaid for everything that we have given up, and only regret that we did not sacrifice more for our beloved study. We would not however have you think it has been all hard work, and that we have had _no_ enjoyment. For, have we not had genial companions, sympathetic teachers and a most watchful Committee, who have tried to do everything in their power to make our school life both pleasant and comfortable? We cannot specify all the ways in which they have shown their interest and kindness to us, yet we would not fail to mention the fact that we were provided with a new cla.s.s-room, which combined the advantages of seclusion, quiet, and all the necessary appliances for study, with excellent ventilation, and to this was added the feeling that it was our ”very own.”
This recital can but feebly show you why the feeling of pleasure is predominant in our hearts to-night. We cannot feel sad at parting with our cla.s.smates, for, though we shall not meet in this cla.s.s-room again, as a cla.s.s, we do expect to meet together as the alumnae of this Inst.i.tution at our regular weekly gatherings for practice. It is rather with a feeling of exhilaration that we realize that we have at length conquered giants that loomed up before us when we began our study, and that these giants, like those called forth by the magician of old, have been made to do our bidding.
But now we come to the most painful part of our task, that of bidding this kind Committee farewell. And, in behalf of the cla.s.s of '88, we thank you again for your watchful care over us during the past Winter.
The only way in which we can attempt to repay you for what you have done for us is by trying to rise in our profession and do something which, when we say we are graduates of the General Society of Mechanics and Tradesmen, will cause you to feel proud of us, and in this way we can slightly show our grat.i.tude to our benefactors. And to our teachers, who have been the means of our learning this wonderful art, we say farewell, hoping that they will remember us kindly as having tried our best to let the studies which they have lodged in our minds bring forth good fruit. Although you have, no doubt, at times felt discouraged with the apparent failure of your work, yet we trust that the results have proved satisfactory, and shown you that we have tried to do what you have desired us to do, and, in a measure, have succeeded. We trust also that these results will reflect credit upon you as our Instructors even more than upon us as the recipients of your teaching. We do realize that many members of our cla.s.s will never meet with us again, and to you we say farewell, with the wish that in your diverse paths through life you may attain great success in your chosen profession and always remember that you are still members of the Cla.s.s of '88.
Address of President Wm. C. Smith
_In awarding the Diplomas to the Cla.s.s of '88._
I came here this evening in a particularly happy frame of mind, for me, because I had been asked to award the diplomas to this cla.s.s, and I am always happy when I think I am able to do something to make some one else happy; but my equanimity was quite disturbed, on arriving, to be shown a programme in which I was set down as having to make the closing address, and a little later I broke out into a perspiration on seeing written in shorthand on the blackboard, that ”you should never speak unless you have something to say.” Those words have been burning before my eyes ever since, and though I have not taken any lessons in shorthand, I am almost sure I could set that sentence down.