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Arthur C. Pillsbury - Normal School - May 18, 1889
From: Sacramento daily record-union May 18, 1889, Page 4, Image 4
COMMENCEMENT EXERCISES
An Enjoyable Evening With the Students of Sierra College
A correspondent of the RECORD-UNION writes from Auburn the following account of the exercises at the Sierra Normal College of that place on Thursday evening: “The hall was crowded, and a number of the persons did not obtain seats. Your correspondent was forcibly impressed with the 'make-up' of the audience. When compared with those of other years. It does credit to the city of Auburn, whose people composed the greater part of the audience. If our interpretation is correct they mean to encourage the college in putting home talent on its programmes instead of the imported article, as has been the custom heretofore. The music was exceptionally fine and enjoyable. The three representatives of the class had good essays, and, with the exception of a little embarrassment on the part of one or two, they were well delivered. President Ward, in his address on 'The Crisis of Life,' struck a popular chord. The first crisis in the life of an individual according to the speaker, is when, at the age of six, he enters school; the second when he selects a business for life. In all of these points the speaker shows himself a student of the present. He was interrupted at various points by hearty applause, and the address throughout was highly entertaining and instructive. Modesty forbids any comments on the address to the class further than that is was the opinion of an intelligent and venerable lady in the audience and venerable lady in the audience that the speaker distinguished himself.
“Just before the benediction Professor Ward was confronted by Miss Ina Stone, who proceeded to bring some very grace charges against the Professor, and with a very little argument found him guilty. In bringing in the verdict she announced that then penalty would be the acceptance of a handsome volume of Bryant's poems, which she handed him as the gift of the students.
After the benediction came a storm of congratulations, the display of diplomas and general sociability. This evening most of the students will have returned to their homes to spend their long-earned vacation of twelve weeks. The programme last evening was as follows: Anthem; prayer. Rev. John T. Shurtleft; essay, “Our Government,” Frank A. Duryea; vocal solo, Miss Chaplin; essay, “Profit and Loss,” Lathrop Huntley; essay, “Nature's Forces,: Edwin T. Robie; vocal duet, Mrs. Ward and Mr. Simons; address, President M. W. Ward: vocal solo, Miss McConn; address to the class, Professor S. ZH. Strite; conferring diplomas, and benediction.
“The graduates in the commercial class are: Duryea of Auburn, Frederic B. Clark of Lincoln, Lathrop Huntley of Auburn, Henry J. Grunewald of Pleasant Grove, Arthur C. Pillsbury of Auburn and William Brison of Sacramento. In the normal class – Edwin T. Robie of Auburn.
