The Opelousas courier., 1873-08-09
commencement Exercises at the
Ursuline Academy.

on last Saturday morning, we had the pleas
ure OF attending, by invitation, the commence
ment exercises and distribution of premiums
at the above well known institution for young
ladies, conducted by the Ursuline Nuns, in our
town. The Academy is pleasantly located at
the northern extremity of town, near the
Catholic Church, and is admirably adapted to
the purpose for which it is used, possessing
the double advantage of being retired from
the noisy haunts of men and in close proximity
to sanctuary consecrated to the service of
God. .s
At an early hour, the spacious room in which
the stage had been improvised was thronged
with the parents of the children and few in
vited guests, and shortly after o'clock the
exercises began with French drama, in two
acts, entitled 'Le Iriomphe de la Fol, on la
pefttabtc Aaaie," which was admirably render
ed by Misses C. Phelps, A. LeBourgeois, Ida
Greyembefg, E. Lalanne, A. Robin, A. Debail-
lon, l. Salies, c. Roy, Sarah Meginley and Nina
Hebrard. The ease and grace of the young
ladies; the naturalness of their movements
and gestures; the clear, distinct and pure pro-
nunciation of the Gallo idiom-an was per-
feet, and reflected great credit upon them
selves and upon their teachers. The hearty
applause that was SO lavishly showered upon
them must certainly have made their young
hearts throb with pleasure and pride; as tor
ourself, in witnessing their triumphs we almost
wished we were a gifl-we should say boy
again, that we might share those triumphs
with them. The moral ineuleatsd by the play,
too, was most excellent one-one which, we
hope, was firmly implanted in the breasts of
the young actors, and not entirely lost upon
for order, neatness, &c, after which four of
the young ladies sang French comic song,
which was well received and warmly applaud
ed. After an English play, of the rendering of
which the same may be justly said as Of the
French one, the English premiums were dis
tributed. --+
This concluded the first half of the days
exercises, and to say that it was indeed rare
treat would be but faint praise, when higher
eneomiums were so justly deserved. We must
in fact, confess the inaaequacy Of the language
at our command to express the admiration we
experienced, not only for this, but also and
particularly for the concluding portion of tue
exercises. ss. E. s. rg-. .zss .g gsE#rstt
Our limited space, however, precludes our
saying more of the remainder of the exercises
than that the glinnpses of Fairly land given
the ''earth-children' present, were fairy scenes
indeed, the gorgeousness of which the most
excited imagination could never picture, and
which we, feeling our utter inability to do so,
shall certainly not attempt to describe; and
that the valedietory address, by Miss Jeaunie
Heard, was model of pathos, chasteness and
elegance, gracefully and effectively delivered,
and admired and applauded by ALL More pre-
miums-the French ones-were distributed be-
fore the close of the exercises, and it appeared
to us that every student received books enough
to start a little library
We cannot close this article, tedious though
it may already be to some, withaut making an
appeal to parents to educate their children in
home Institutions; and we know of none in
the State, nor indeed in the whole South,
more deserving and in every way worthy of
their patronage, than the Ursuline Academy
of Opelousas.