Mayor Wu Te-chen Principal Speaker at 55th Commencement Day 'A very satisfactory year was re~ ported by Dr. Hawks Pott, President of the St. John's University, at the 55th commencement exercises neid the institution behind the Jessfeld Park on Saturday afternoon. Gen, Wu Te-chen, Mayor of Shanghai, was the principal speaker of the day giving Appropriate advice to the students.
'Among those present on the platform were Judge Milton Helmick, Gen. and Mme. Wu Te-chen, Mr. Ho Te-kwo of the Shanghai Municipal Council, Dr. 7. H. Lee, President of the Fuh Tan University, Dr. Z. T. Wang, President of the Woman' Christian Medical College, Mr. 'T. Y. Chang, Director of the intelligence Depariment of the City Government, and several others.
Mr. Chuang Shang-teh, B.A, received an M.A. degree, while the Rt. Rev. T. K. Shen, B.A, BD, received the degree of Honorary Doctor of Divinity. The degree of Doctor of Medicine was conferred on seventeen candidates of the School of Medicine. Thirty-one students of the Schoo! of Arts and Sclence received B.A. degrees, 16 BS. degrees, and six students of the School "of Civil Engineering received the degree of B.S. Various shields and other _prizes were awarded to a number of stue dents.
"Heaven helps these who help themselves." We cannot escape from the rule of the survival of the Attest. "To us, then, difculties are but an incentive. There is but one golden rule to success, namely, Work, work, work. No. one too small to have anand. Not a single endeavour will {ail to have its effect. Our. final success will be limited only by the extent of our own endeavours. United we are more than equal to task of saving our country.
Education is not yet universal in China. Miteracy remains widespread. To be able to graduate from university is a privilege enjoyed by but a few. You are fortunate therefore in having secured that privilege. Having done so, however, you. have Incurred an obligation, debt. You have received what many others are unable to receive, Te-is your turn to return for what you have got.
On your shoulders is laid the great responsibility of making China great 'The following candidates of the 'School of Medicine received the de-ree of Doctor of Medicine: Chen 'Teung-pan, Vesin Chen, BS, Chin Shao-ling,' B.A, Howe' Yah' Ming, President's Announcements In his opening speech, Dr. Pott said in part:—
It gives me much pleasure to welcome you to the graduating exercises fon the 88th commencement di Kyuin Keung, and 2. U. See, BS, Wu Chieh, BS, You will be pleased to hear that the academic year closing to-day has been avery satisfactory one. We have had a larger attendance than ever before, better work has been done, and a closer relationship between faculty members and student body has been developed.
Some of the projects we had in liliand have been completed, such as the digging of the deep well, and the erection of a bridge across the Soochow Creek uniting our two proper-tes, The new Chinese library, known as the Sheng Kung Pao Library, has Deen moved to St. John's, and the work of cataloguing it is now in Drogress. It will be housed on the ground floor of the Low. Library Building until a new library building been constructed.
Dr. Pott then introduced the Mayor to the gathering who spoke to the students' in Chinese. The following!
a free translation of part of his speech:
'The splendour of western eivilizawith its wealth and power, has een an object. for admiration' and envy to many of us. Many, how-fever, overlook the fact that prior to the renaissance, conditions in Europe were Just as chaotic as those im China of to-day, if not more. The lories of the present day western Givillzation are but the fruits of fiecades of hard persistent, scientife fond united endeavour of the westera peoples. spite of her early civilization, in spite of her wealth of natural resources, China thas failed to keep pace with therest of the world. We Jare behind net heczJse o2t ancestors did not lay "he right sort of foundution for tus but because we have {failed to build upon it. The present nations? crisis is brought upon us by Our own impotency, the result of Tong period of idleness which has dulled our creative power, and re-[duced our incentive to progress.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.