The Opelousas patriot. [volume] (Opelousas, Parish of St. Landry, La.) 1855-1863, 1859-07-09

three o'clock in the evening, the company dis
persed in the finest spirits, and highly e'ated
with The feast of reason, connected with the
celebration of the Sad Anniversary Of Ameri-
can Independence in the town Of Opelousas.
SABB4TH SCHOOL CELEBRATION.
! We were present last Saturday at the An
niversary celebration of the scholars Of the
Methodist Sabbath School in the Methodist
Episcopal Church in this town, and confess
that we were much pleased and delighted with
the general exercises on the occasion. AT the
honr Of 10 in the morning the sonorous tones
of the church bell summoned the little girls,
boys and young men to the scene Of action.
By II O'Clock the church was nearly filled
scholars to amuse and entertain us,--parents
10 witness the performances of their children,
and a miscellaneous crowd led thither TO hear
the inceptive displays Of the rising generation,
the hope Of the coming age.
A few minutes past II the exercises Of the
day were opened by singing and prayer, after
which the audience were entertained for about
two hours by declamations, original and Sc
lected, on the part Of the Sunday school
scholars, and a short address on intemperance
by Master Frank Hardesty, Of Washington.
We can not particularize the many interesting
recitations on this occasion, with one or two
exceptions the scholars Of the whole school,
consisting Of some forty, acquitted themselves
in a manner highly creditable, and with much
satisfaction to their parents and the audience.
The performance on the part of Master W..
Fl. Mayo, deserves o special notice. His s&y-
ject was original and devoted to" The char
aeter Of the Puritan Fathers." For some
thirty minutes the young man enchained the
Of the audience in a graphic account
Of the causes which induced the pilgrim fat lers
to forsake their native shores and cast their
fortunes and destinies on the soil of the Western
Continent. The trials and hardships which
they endured in driving the wild and savage
from his haunts, in raising the
standard Of civilization, in demonstrating
the expressions Of the mother country,
and finally the part which our revolutionary
fathers performed in erecting the tree Of liber-
ty in l776, on the shores of America, were
delineated. expressed in neat and grace
full language, and at times full of youthful en-
ergy and eloauence. Press forward young
man, devote the golden moments of youth to
hard study. ~recollect there is no excellence
without labor. go on as you have begun and
the path Of honor and distinction lies before
you.
The performance Of another young man,
Master Lyman Lyons, deserves q special no
tice. His subject was "Hope Mesmagnet Of
mans actions"
We learn that this composition was partly
original aud partly selected. 1t was indeed a
beautiful and most magnificent specimen of
English composition and was delivered in still
more beautiful, fascinating and eloquent
We thought as the young man nd
verted tosthe inspirations of hope as illustrated
in the career of a Clay aud Calhoun, surely
the path of glory and renown traversed by.
these great men, may in the future be alike
traversed by you!
M.star Era,L. IT, ,aa..r e..., ,r.a
entertained the audience for thirty minutes in
a neat and well composed address on The sinh.
iect of inteMperapce. We detected 4 bic mar.
formauce the germ of much Youthful fire.. ener-
.r, c,l ,.oo,.., 81 IF ~ HL IT, 7E0ANN L.
1,here ,re o,ha,, ,rhosa ~
special remarks, but our space wilInot
permit us 10 advert. 10 them AT nyesent
After tho exerc;saa we,s c,osoa /, M ahu.o,
. nrmoos,;n, - 50 - 'i..''.n'
!" Procession WIS 'o''"e'' Composed ot the
scholars ana citizens generally in ATTENDANCE,
which marched with banner spread to The breeze