nities when they
come to us; success cannot be obtained in a day. We may not have to
build a railroad but we will build something else, perhaps greater.

Young ladies, it is my privilege on behalf of the General Society of
Mechanics and Tradesmen, as its President, to present you with these
diplomas. I do so with pleasure; first, because I feel that it is our
right to give them to you; secondly, because I feel that it is your
right to receive them, for you have earned them. They represent to me
six months of careful, earnest, intelligent study; six months of
devoting yourself to the habit of close application; six months of
forming the habit of industry; habits which, I take it, make the
road to success to any one who expects to succeed in the future. I
congratulate you upon receiving them; they are certificates that carry
with them pleasant memories, and I hope will prove in after years
profitable ones. In behalf of the General Society, it is my pleasure
to thank your teacher; I have witnessed personally his enthusiasm in
his calling, and I am proud to say that I have been here night after
night and have watched the enthusiasm of the class. I have seen them
here sometimes long after the regular school hours, in fact, I had a
mind to say, "You are over-taxing these young ladies." Then I thought
it was a life and death struggle for only six months, and the victory
was worth the struggle.

I have nothing more to say. I will remember the motto given early in
the evening and wish you every success in life which you have obtained
in this school.

Salutatory

BY MISS JESSIE FERRIS.

_To the Class of '89._

On behalf of my classmates, Gentlemen of the Committee, and friends,
it gives me great pleasure to welcome you here this evening, and we
sincerely hope that in the following short account of our progress
during the eight past months, both in shorthand and typewriting
classes, _you_ may share, to some extent, our satisfaction.

I shall not attempt to portray our initial struggles with the dots and
lines, but rather dwell on the time when, at the rate of a word in
five minutes, we could, with the confidence of beginners, write the
short but expressive sentences:

The cow eats grass!
See the dog run!

From this time under the able guidance of our teachers, we steadily
progressed, until our efforts have culminated in the success
gratifying to ourselves, our teachers, and our many friends.

In ty