Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1866-08-07
FROM OBERLIN.
Fourteenth Anniversary of the
EIiOian Society.


EIiOiRn Society.
. Especial correspondence of the Cleveland LEADER
DELAYED LETTER.
8 0BERLN, Aug. End, 1866.
The good people of 0berlin were re
: minded yesterday afternoon that Com
:, mencement is near at hand. The Ami
= versary Exercises of the -Elioian Soclet.
: constituted the first course of the annua
8 feast, and, if we can judge what is to b
. from what has been, we predict a splendid
entertainment for the inhabitants of oul
village, and the friends who may favor
us with their presence during the coming
three weeks.
We have often wondered, when the
editor or correspondent finds his love Of
truth and spirit of gallantry are in con-
fliet, which should surrender. But the
question is of no practical Importance to
us now, for if we speak trGthfully, we can
only speak in praise.
The Church had been made ready for
the Children's Concert, which was to take
place in the evening. A large platform
had been built over the pulpit desk, and
the greater part of the choir seats were
enclosed with flags and evergreens. We
had heard this very much regretted. 1t
was even said that it would all have TO be
torn down for the anniversary and re-
| built for the concert, but the ladies, thanks
to their taste and good sense, vetoed this,
and retained the staging, the evergreens,
and the drapery just as they were. The
| President and Secretary occupied a sofa
on the stand, and the ladies who read, as
their names were called, emerged from
sylvan retreat, in the rear of the platform
and, when they had finished their exer-
cises, were again lost in its hidden depths.
The following is programme of the
exercises:
ORDER OF EXERCISES.
MUSIC. PEATER. MUSIC.
81 Let there be Light "........ Ella NJ Shepsrdson
Sturgis, Mich.
Silver Arrows .---.-...Alice n. Leonard, Thompson.
Classic Biography III. M hiser, Gnadenhutten.
MUSIC.
spinning and Weaving-.-....C Chanie A. Patterson,
Oberlin.
Poem-Foun;ains in the Desert...-sophie NJ. Hall,
Oberlin.
MUSIC.
Know Thy f-...... Rachel J. Chambers, Bucyrus.
The Unfortunate Mary +. Lane,
Roanoke, Ind
The Forgotten Art-...Addie F. Desne. Conneaut. /
MUSIC. BESEDIcTIoS.
After music by the semo-chorus, which
Professor Steele has been drilling so
thoroughly, prayer by Prof. Churchill,
and a quartette from the three Misses
Morgan and Mr.. Steele, Miss Shepardson
was announced. Her subject, so glorious
in its brevity and so expressive of the
power of Him who commanded the light
to be, was provocative of thought and
was well treated. Giving us a brief
statement of the condition of the world,
as she supposed it to be, when it first
awoke to light and life, she showed that
at the same Almighty command light
dawns upon the minds and into the hearts
of men.
Miss Leonard, after recounting th e
scenes of a Juvenile contest in archery,
which she saw from her window, in which
the prize was silver arrow, drew fromit
q practical lesson. "The great reason
why so many fail in life, she said, is be-
cause they do not aim high enough"
pu u1uob AAbb ipAAbluuG4lIOD1 HISS /
Kiser's classical subject that the essay was
dull or prosy. Nothing could be further
from the truth. Her theme was that Pc
ter, who atespumpkins, who possessed a
helpmeet, of whom he could not retain
possession until he devised the original I
plan of enclosing her in the shell of one {
of his own pumpkins. She proved that
Mr.. P was coarse, heartless man, with ,
whom no woman ought to live, and we
implication, that all strict veg |
etarians are like him.
Miss Patterson expressed no regret
that the days of spinning and weaving by s
hand have passed away, for now, the {
hands and minds relieved from this en- 3
ployment may spin and weave other tex 7
lures, more beautiful and lasting. !
Miss Halls poem was good. She ex- /
pressed the thought, more beautiful than f,
we can, that, when life seems to us dreary
and desert-like, sparkling and cooling t
fountains, are bubhling up about us, from j
which we may drink if we will. The !
metre was flowing and musical and the !
idea poetical. :
Miss Chambers convinced us that the :
highest knowledge, and the most difficult !
10 attain, is knowledge of ourselves-of 4
our own capabilities and failings Her |
production evinced careful and Thoughtful
and was spiced with Just r
enough of humor to make it very palata- q
bic. =
Miss Lane has great hopes fer the Irish, I
that their ignorance is the result
Of no natural inferiority, but is wholly {
due to adverse circumstances, she sees
he time, at no very distant day, when
they shall take the place, which Nature Z
designed for them. May her prophesy !
prove true.
Miss Deane fears that the art of being
gay, which our ancestors undestood so
well, has been forgotten-that New Years
and Maydays and Christmases are not !
what they used to be " in the good old :
days. Whether it be true that we are
less happy than our forefathers, may be
an open question; but with regard to :
Miss Deane's forcible and pleasing pre-
of one side of the question, y,
here car be but one opinion.
The ladies all appeared easy and grace /
ful, and resd with great distinetness. We 5
doubt if any one, who paid attention, {
lost single sentence, and yet they did I
not seem to unduly task their voices. 7
Miss Allen presided with grace and dig /
nifty. The music was conducted by Profs. :
Morgan and Steele-to say which is Py- t
with saying that it was ex- {
cellent :
The Young Ladies Literary Society {
holds It's anniversary next Wednesday I
afternoon. After which come the anni- !
versaries of the College Societies, the
Senior Glass Exhibition and other lite I
rary and social good things known to l
students and their friends. r.
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