The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1874-08-09
NUMBER 81.

29th nltimo, at the annual exhibition and dis
tribution of premiums of St. vincent's Aoad-
envy, conducted by the Brothers of the Sacred
| Heart. The stage was erected in the large
| school yard and the audience, instead of
sweltering between hot walls, sat comfortably
under the trees with tho blue vault Of heav-
en-, studded with stars, stretched benignly
above them. To insure still further protection
from the annoyance of dust and heat, the
members of Neptune Fire Company made their
appearance late in the afternoon and deluged
the whole premises, The yard and the adj acont
streets, the thirsty earth and the green trees,
with plentiful shower of artificial rain-rain
rising from q cistern instead of falling from
n cloud; and SO everything was delightfully."-
fresh and cool.
Altogether the scene was q striking one--tha
little theatre with it's painted curtains, the
large and miscellaneous audience, the crowds
of excited and happy children, the good
Brothers with their long black RABIES fitting
from place to place, the oversha downing trees
-mulberries and oaks-with the lights fiaring
amongst their swaying foliage, and then the
hum of innumerable voices in the crowd, and
from time to time the clamor and the clangor
of the brass instruments of the band. have
no words to describe it fifty, and must leave
your, imagination to fill ont the picture.
The first part of the programme was COM
posed of various short addresses and comic
dialogues, interpreted with songs and cho-
russes and music by the brass band. This
band, be it remembered, numbering seme
twenty performers, is composed entirely Of stu
dents of the Academy.
The various speakers acquitted themselves
very well and while the music was not of the
most difficult and dilletanti character, it was
still pleasant and enjoyable, and was quito
creditable as the production of boys, many OF
them of quite diminutive size.
The principal performance of The evening,
however, was the beautiful little drama In two
acts entitled " the Hidden Gem" That 1t WAS
written by Cardinal Wisemnn liz sufficient war
ranty that the sentiments lofty and pure
and that tho language is chaste and beautiful
l could not help thinking that the influence of
Il piece like this, intoxicating the highest les
sons of religious fervor, and enshrinlng
thoughts that breathe in words that burn, 10
very greatly to be preferred TO the comic triv-
ialities which are but too often selected for
such occasions; as, for example, the extrava-
CANT burlesque of Bombastes Furioso, which
seems to be 80 general q favorite. The Bonn
bastes is, indeed, funny enough, bnt it has no
other merit. And even the fun is not so chastO
and delicate, it seems to me, to make 10
specially desirable to have it stored away in
The memories of our children. If it Is urged
that this is the sort of thing that peases the
people, why then have only to say, so much
The worse for the people; aud much greater
the need Of making effort to improve
their taste not to say their morals.
The acting, of course, not such would
have been expected from professionals on q
regular stage. But the boys knew their parts
we'll, and several of them exhibited very de-
,ided dramatic talent. In word, the play
was 30 rendered to give genuine pleasure to
he audience.
After the exhibition came the distrIbution of
premiums; and truly their was legion.
noticed " it'll special qualification that the
irst and highest premiums were awarded for
good conduct "a very effective way of en-
,basizing the principle that the cultivation Of
he moral nature is of much greater import
Incc than the development of the intellect
Among those present / recognized Fathers
dcDouough, Keeler, oCallaghaD Imsand, and
thers Of the Catholic clergy and along with
bese was Admiral Semmes the world famous
aptan of the Alabama.
may add in conclusion that st. Yiucent's
academy is in a very 1ourishing condition, the
lumber of pupils during the session just closed
esching more than two hundred. x.Y.z.
Mobile, AHgHst lat 1874.
On the 9th inst, in Philadelphia, the sDect
lie of two steamships sailing for Europe al
nost simultaneously. attracted n LARGE crOvva