Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1872-07-16
Special correspondence Of the Hersld.)
ST. CLARA COMMENCEMENT.
The Crowds I'm Aitendance--An Interesting
Programme of Exercises Tropical
Temperature-Fsc about
The Institutiun.

Another Commencement-the-
eighteenth annual-took place at
St. Clara Academy, Sinsinawa
Mound, on Thursday, July 11th.-
Thither fiocked the populace by hun
dreds and by thousands A multi
tude greater than any ever congre.
gated there before was now assem-
bed. The collection was somewhat
miscellaneous, but withal intelligent
and respectable. Almost every va
riety of equine vehicles had been
mustered into service; and came to
the grounds freighted with profusely
perspiring people. From the sur
rounding rural districts came great
stout wagons laden with "the mass
es I" from three minor towns and
villages came buggies, while Galena
and Dubuque contributed all the
barouches and carriages which those
good cities own and are proud of.
The exercises began shortly after
nine A. NJ. The grand entrance
march, on harps, pianos and guitars,
was a regular hurricane of melody !;
and keeping step to its stately meas
ures, all the students of the academy
came gracefully and fearlessly upon
the stage. The pupils came forward
by two, and after bowling, address
ing, and so on, they parted, one GO
ing to the right, the other TO the left.
At either end Of the platform seats
had been placed, and these the young
ladies held throughout the perform
ances, quitting them only as occa-
sion called. A pleasing uniformity
was observed in the dresses of the
students, all with one or two excep-
tions, wearing tasty robes of white
and black. A wreath of white flow
ers rested upon the head of each, pro-
ducing q very pretty and charming
effect.
The programme was of course
good, and every exercise was pro-
nounced the best, and stoutIy con-
s;dered such, until the succeeding
one came to match if not to master
it, Miss Wihaki La Bate, the little
Indian girl, spoke the salutatory
words, employing an accuracy Of ac'
cent and distinctness of articuIa-
ton which many a Caucassion Of the
largest pretensions certainly ought
to emulate and to envy. The Sis.
ters of St. Clara have been clarifying
the intellect and morals of this dusk !
waif until every dreg of her savage
nature has subsidized and now Il
unique miracle of noble woman
hood" promises TO be the reward OF
their noble labors.
Tho music on the programme com.
prised many popular pieces, and all
of them were most effectively and
artistically rendered. The ST. Clara
folks teach music with musical
thoroughness, as these annual COM
mencement exercises conclusiVely
testify. There may be those who
see little utiity-that is to say
bread and butter-in a finely Guilt
waited voice and the ability to strum
grand tunes on a piano I Out then il
often fatas out, let those account foi
it who can, that these melodioul
maidens 90 to the connubial alter
years and years before their scien
tifie sisters "the hard grained muse,
Of the cube and square" as Tenny
son ingallantIy terms them, encount
err wilin' and daring Barkis
The crying of seraphic infants at
intervals during the entertainment
annoyed the auditors as we'll as the
performers a good DEAL land was
plainly productive of much magma,
ry profanity. Babies are vel
enough in the abstract, but there sure
y ought to be constitutions
amendment against their admittance
into places CT public entertainment
They ars bother. And then the
hall was hot, too, and that was the
prolific source of more distress. The
tanning, gasping tidgeting multitude
formed scene which it was painful
to contemplate, and made one long
to exchange il for the cool shade
the still waters and the green pas
lures of that tabled region where il
is always Saturday afternoon.
An Introductory address, evidenc.
ing deep and generous culture on the
part of the fair speaker, was deliver
cd By Miss l. Mills, of Illinois. The
Senior students discussed the arts
and sciences, giving utterance to
many wise things and several witty
ones. Miss Laura V. Mckay, OF
Iowa, the only graduate OF the year,
spoke the valedictory, after which
honors were conferred upon the de-
serving and premiums distributed to
all who had earned them. A grand
closing march was played, the pupils
again curtseycd to each other and to
the audience, and 10 few moments
the vast hall was entirely vacant.
After dining sumptuousIy in the
private dinner-room of the academy,
sitting at the board with several
newspaper and other notables, your
correspondent was kindly and intel
ligently conducted through the great
building by one of the affable and
accommodating Sisters of the an
cient order of St. Dominic. Every
thing that goes to make q complete
educational establishment, all the
modern facilities and improvements,
he found within the walls of st. Cha.
ra academy, On the ground floor are
parlors and dining rooms and other
apartments of the ampest dimen-
sions. Higher up were found the
study room, music rooms, room
containing scientific instruments, to
gether with rare specimens of many
kinds, sleeping rooms with their long
ranges of snowy cots, and even batt
rooms of the most comfortable and
approved description. Growing all
is an observatory two stories high.
whence view Of singular beauty
grandeur aud immensely is obtained
Looking southwark one secs inter-
minable forests stretching away to
apnnta horizon ia g., 81