STATE HOME HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION THURSDAY NIGHT                _________   HON. LUTHER A JOHNSON ADDRESSES TWENTY-FIVE MEMBERS OF CLASS               ___________      Final commencement exercises for the twenty-five members of the graduating class of the State Home high school were held Thursday evening in the school auditorium with Congressman Lu- ther A. Johnson of Corsicana as the principle speaker.  Dr. T. P. McLendon, school physician and member of the board of trustees, presented the diplomas to the graduates.    As the home orchestra played F. H.Losey's "Frisgian" as a processional,  the seniors  in the conventional black cap and gown attire marched down the aisles of the auditorium and took their places upon the stage. They were followed by Superintendent J. S. Halley, Congressman Johnson, Dr. McLendon and Rev. Robert Law- rence, school chaplain, who pro- pronounced the invocation.     Members of the MacDowell Glee Club of the State Home were presented in Max Spicker's arrangement of A. Rubensien's "Voices of the Woods," and drew a hearty round of applause from the attendants on the exercises.     Howell Nash, second honor graduate, then delivered the salu- tatory address, asserting that the class of 1931 welcomes their friends and school-mates upon the occasion, for the members of the class had reached a goal toward which they had been striving for four years. He said that upon at- taining that goal they had a wider field ahead, and many new prob- lems to face, but that their prep- aration was good and their valor strong. In a short time the mem- bers of' the class would change from undergraduates to alumni of the institution; and although it was time for the class to part, it was not a time for the ending of ties of friendship.    The members of the class will return to the home many times in to the future, and share through life the associations and friendships started upon the school campus. He closed with a  final word of welcome. Quartette  Is Heard.    "I Know a Lovely Garden” Guy d'Hardelot was rendered by a quartette of girls, from the se- nior class which included Clarice Calhoun, Margaret McCown, Ethie Jo Bannister, and Bernice Griffith.    This was followed by Miss Kitty Ruth Johnson was played Franz Shuberts, "Impromptu No. 2," in a very capable and pleasing manner.    Miss Cora Alyce Ringo was pre- sented in two vocal numbers, that brought her hearty applause. .Her first selection was "Yesterday and Today" by Charles G. Spross, while the second was a woodland idyl    “An Open Secret” by R. Hunting- ton Woodman, Miss Ringo posseses a voice of fine tonal quality and and with a wide range.    Miss Sally Higgins, first honor graduate in her valedictory spoke a farewell to friends, teachers and classmates. She declared that the occasion was  both sad and glad; she expressed the apprecia- tion of  the class for the friendly attitude of Superintendent Halley and his efforts to aid them. She told members of the faculty that the students were now. beginning to realize the values of the years of association, and that the mem- ories of the final days would long remain with them, their good-bye came from within she asserted, as they realized the ideals and am- bitions that were inspired within them.    In behalf of her fellow class- mates, she passed along to the undergraduates the heritage of tradition and responsibilities for carrying on the various activities of the home school. Parting of the Ways.    From this time on there will be a greater difference in the lines of action and thoughts of the members of the senior class, Miss Higgins said, and as the years go by the classmates will be more widely separated, and there will be no immunity from sorrow, but the treasures of affectionate recollect- tion would bring the members of the class back to the campus on many occasions.    She declared that the issues of the future—honor or shame—were in the hands of the individual members of the class.    Concluding the first section of the program for the evening was the graduation farewell song by Wiegard by members of the class.    W. T. Brumbelow, principal of the State Home School, presided at the second portion of the pro- gram, and presented the speaker of the evening as a man of na- tional reputation, and holder of the highest office within the power of the people of this district, Congressman Luther A. Johnson.    In his introductory remarks, the congressman complimented the class upon the quality of its membership and upon the quality of the program which they had presented, asserting that it had been his privilege to hear many classes in recent weeks, but none who surpassed them. Youth Greatest Asset.    America's greatest asset is her youth, the speaker declared, he pointed out the safeguards that surround the government engraving office where the nation's currency is made, and also the treasury building that now more than a hundred years old but has never been entered by robbers. But there are no such safeguards about the nation's greatest asset,—her youth.    He recounted the emphasis placed on youth by the ancient Greeks, with their great festal occasion in which the old and young men, and the youth par- aded. The youth of today, the speaker declared, will be the strength of tom- orrow.    Mr. Johnson expressed the desire to inspire the graduates to strength—a triple strength of body, mind and soul. Education, he said, is a reservoir of strength, and valuable even though a person were to spend the remainder of their lives on a desert island. Education is a broadening and refining influence. Thinkers dominate those who do not think, and schooling teaches people to think.    He declared that education is not entirely essential, but those who have an education have a better chance of success.  An analysis of “Who’s Who” showed 33 listed without education, 808 with a common school education , 1245 with a high school education, and 5768 with a college education. Education Great Aid.    Every student does not desire fame or success in the professions, the speaker said, but education will equip them better for indust- rial pursuits.  It has been proven that the industrial earning capacity of a community is dependent upon the efficiency of its school system.  He referred to farming and transportation changes;  where once the work was simple,   now the highest quality of technical  education  is needed to keep abreast of the times.    "If you want to be a success get all the education you can. Mr. Johnson told the graduates; a high school diploma is a badge of honor, and shows that the students are not quitters, but he urged the members of the graduating class to attend college if possible, pointing out that many of the honor graduates of  institutions of higher learning were those who worked their way through. Not Alone Key to Success.    Education alone is not the key to success but its use will supply a great motive force. Character and personality determine the use of education. The speaker said that he would rather be the most ignorant of men and have the world's respect and faith than to be the best educated without the faith of others. Faith was termed the great part of character that aids in overcoming obstacles. He urged the members to have faith in themselves, in God, and in their fellow men.    As examples of the accomplishments of faith , he pointed to the lives of Lafcadio Hearn and Carl Green, State Home graduate, who will complete his course at the United States Military Academy in a few days.    Mr. Johnson told the graduates that they would have hardships, but that no one was immune to them, but that if they had the de- termination and were willing to pay the price, they, could succeed.    He gave the class two axioms and urged  them to remember them; the first was "Do the com- mon things of life in an uncom- mon way," and the second was "Do one thing better than anybody else." He presented a number of examples from life that carried his point. Should Not Warp View.    He urged his listeners not to let education warp their views of life as it has done in some instances. He divided people into three groups: 1. those who fall to develop themselves and are unwilling to pay the price of success; 2. those who live for self alone; and 3, the ideal class, who live for others that the world might be a better place in which to live.    In closing he urged the graduates to make up their minds not to be afraid—of hardship or any- thing else, for the man who fears falls.    Dr. T. P. McLendon then pre- sented diplomas to the following students who have completed their course:  Margaret Tatum, Lilly Mae Kinney, Sally Higgins, Cora Alyce Ringo, Minnie Louise McCown, Margie  Maxine Jones, Corinne McAdoree, Lucille Morris, Clarice Calhoun, Opal Jackson, LaHoma Beasley, Marie Jordan, Fern Cardwell, Ethie Joe Bannister, Alva Lynn Perdue,   Sarah Lee Morton, Bernice Griffith, Mamie Lou Hoffman, Annie Hale, Ruby Lee Hill, William Robert Orange, L. V. Knott, Claude Howell Nash, Louis Murl Woods, and Kitty Ruth Johnson. Awards Are Made.    Superintendent J. S. Halley then made the presentation of the annual awards. The Roger Q. Mills medal for debating was given to William Orange, and the medal for the best grade in home- economics was presented to Sally Higgins.    The superintendent also read a telegram of congratulation to the seniors from Mr. and Mrs. Elbert Fletcher, former principal and teacher in the home, from Dobb's Ferry, New York.    A watch given by Sam Daiches, Corsicana jeweler, was presented to Lilley Mae Kinney.    A medal for the best grade made in use of the library was awarded to Miss Lillie Mae Sellars, the only high school student to make a perfect average.    The superintendent then presented a Bible to each member of the graduating class, to conclude the exercises.   The Corsicana Daily Sun -  Friday, May 29, 1931 Submitted by Diane Richards