_Class of '91._
[A]Das ist im Leben haslich eingerichtet,
Das Bei den Rosen gleich die Dornen stehn;
Und was das arme Herz auch sehnt und dichtet,
Zum Schlusse kommt das Voneinandergehen.
[Footnote A:
'Tis said, alas, that life must have its sorrows,
That with the roses cruel thorns should grow;
And though we fondly dream of love's to-morrows,
Must every heart the grief of parting know.]
The words of the poet are but too true. What rose does not hold up its
pretty, fragrant head, feigning unconsciousness of the thorns hidden
beneath its bright, green leaves? And just so life's joys are with its
sorrows associated. There never was a _perfectly_ happy day, unclouded
as the skies of June, for every pleasure, inasmuch as it must end,
carries with it some sadness--every meeting, the pain of parting.
So to-night the joyous echo of "welcome" is still to be heard,
the fragrance of its roses is yet perceptible, when the solemn
"_Farewell_" rings upon our ears and its thorns pierce our hearts.
Ruskin says, "It is a type of eternal truth that the soul's armor is
never well set to the heart, unless a woman's hand has braced it,
and it is only when she braces it loosely that the honor of manhood
fails." If then, the honor of the world is dependent upon woman, if
she is to be responsible for all war and all peace, happiness or
discontent, it behooves us to consider the greatness, amounting to
almost awe, of the duty imposed upon us. Our task may, perhaps, be
a difficult one, but not if we seize it with an unyielding grasp,
and fight it to the bitter end--"to the last syllable of recorded
time"--if need be.
Our circle of usefulness is constantly widening. The doors of
colleges, and thus those of every profession, have opened to admit us
within their sacred precincts. In all parts of the world our sisters
are successful as musicians, painters, sculptors--Harriet Hosmer, for
example--physicians, professors, stenographers. Many of them are now
on the highest rounds of the ladders from which their lack of superior
education formerly excluded them. This is especially true of
stenography. Yet some one has recently written, that, owing to their
superior tact in arrangement, their neatness, their unobtrusiveness,
their faithfulness, and numerous other excellent qualities, the
demand for women in this capacity is steadily increasing. We find them
filling lucrative positions in banking, commercial and publishing
houses; in brokers' and insurance offices, in law firms, in fact, in
every place where the haste of this nineteenth century requires a
stenographer's speed. Indeed, they have made for themselves, in the
use of the "winged words," a name which it is our duty to assist in
more firmly establishing.
In behalf of my classmates, as well as for myself, I wish to thank our
Instructor most cordially for his thorough teaching; for the interest
he awakened in us toward this intricate art, without which we would
have long since been compelled to cry "Vanquished;" for his timely
assistance over the sharp pointed stones and by the brier bushes in
the darkened forest, and for his patience which our forgetfulness so
sorely tried. And, though our words of gratitude may be weak, the
feeling is deep-rooted in our hearts, and through the years to come we
shall carry with us many pleasant memories of the hours spent with
him, and never fail to appreciate his more than kindness.
The neat typewritten exercises, letters and legal documents, which
the members of the typewriting class have at different times shown us,
are an earnest of the work done in that department, and we can have no
doubt that his pupils feel grateful to their teacher.
The School Committee, indeed all the members of the G. S. M. & T.,
have our heartiest thanks for their kindness in enabling so many to
gain a profession, and for the interest they have always manifested in
our welfare.
One word of "Farewell" to my classmates: During the past Winter, while
studying together, many of us have formed strong friendships, which we
hope shall never decay, or have bound more closely those who were
friends before. Several of the more fortunate have already obtained
positions, making profitable use of the treasures received from our
Instructor. But the others need not despair, for if we are faithful
and determined we shall in due time receive our call, and "In quiet
and in confidence shall be our strength," perfection shall be our aim,
and when we have reached the goal, may it be said of us, as Antony
said of Brutus:
"Nature might stand up and say to all the world,
'This was a man.'"
In our journey through life, when doubts fall thick and fast around
us, and the lowering sky seems just above our heads, surely these
beautiful words of Goethe will fill us with encouragement:
"Wouldst thou win desires unbounded?
Yonder see the glory burn,
Lightly is our life surrounded,
Sleep's a shell to scorn and spurn,
When the crowd sways unbelieving,
Slow the daring will that warns,
He is crowned with all achieving
Who perceives and then performs."