Paris High School Graduation

"(Unable to read opening line of article.) held at the Opera House on (Thursday) and Friday nights, May (26) and 27. The stage was beautiful (and) flowers, flags and pictures presented a lovely appearance and when the curtain went up the beautiful stage, revealing the graduating class in the (forefront) and it brought down the house. (This) graduating

class was the (largest) in the history of the school (being) composed of fourteen young ladies and ten young men, representing the beauty and manhood of Monroe county. The names of the graduates and their subjects are as follows:

(Essay) Nat Addison Reid "One Year After."

(Essay) Miss Florence Baker "Be Everlastingly at It."

(Oration) Carter Alexander "Patriotism."

(Essay) Miss Frances Harley "Cares of Life."

(Essay) Miss Kate McBride "Why Should a God Piece Lower Itself by

Mixing with a Heap of Pennies?"

(Oration) Onion Payne "Individual Liberty."

Essay Miss Bessie Livesay "Reflections of an Heiress."

Essay Charles F. Henderson "Joan of Arc."

Essay Miss Vida Strawn "Memory."

Essay Miss Carrie Blakey "Joan of Arc."

Essay Miss Vida Strawn "Memory."

Essay Miss Carrie Blakey "Pictures."

Oration Harry Forest Stone "Eulogy on Gladstone."

Essay Miss Mary Arnold "The Interpreter Between the Gods and Man."

Essay Miss Jessie Vaughn "The Noble Ends of Knowledge."

Oration Rufus H. Bodine "Neglect not the Gift that is in Thee."

Oration Miss Daisy Whitecotton "The Possibilities of Our Literature."

Essay Miss Blanche Adams "Thimble."

Oration Gwyn Harvey Baker "Remember the Maine."

Essay George L. Morehead "(Gifts) they say, persuade even the (Gods),

and gold in more powerful than a thousand arguments to man."

Essay Miss Ivy Payne "Gather the Summer Driftwood for (the) Winter Fire."

Essay Miss Bertha Goetz "From Daylight Unto Daylight."

Oration Wm. Bucker Ragsdale "Confessio Amantis."

(Unknown) Miss Rosa Belle Moore "Behold the Mountain Peak."

(Unknown) Harry Clancet Payne "Work enough for All? Yes

(.piece of article missing. Miss Birdie (unknown).)

(unable to read next few lines).from beginning to ending, showing plainly that they had made good use of their time during the weary years of their school life. We dare not particularize for fear we should say more of one of the graduates than of another, so we will just say that no school in the state can turn out a brighter lot of graduates than those who received their diplomas on last Friday night from our school.

The music was furnished by an orchestra composed of Mr. and Mrs. E.G. Grimes, E.G. McGee, Geo. Moss, Misses Belle and Kittie Moss and Kitty Bodine, Geo. Blakey and Kirkland Greer. The music was grand, sublime - the best ever heard in the opera house.

The diplomas were delivered by the Secretary of the School Board, Mr. T.T. Rodes, in a neat little speech, the benediction was pronounced and the large crowd went to their respective homes, proud of our school, proud of the graduates, and proud of the teachers who have worked so hard and faithfully to make the Paris High School one of the very best in the great State of Missouri."

Source: Untitled, undated article; original source unknown. Extracted from the newspaper announcement collection started in 1879 by Mrs. Nannie Brown of Madison, Missouri; provided by Kathleen Wilham.