The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1874-06-26

q the PestalOZZian class, Masters Joe
Vesey and Edward Reynolds. Miss Ida
n Freeman, of Miss, received prize fol-
IT the best department in the whole school
e In the boarding department Misses Co
), rinne Hassell and Tennessee Thompson
y were awarded prizes.
b There were seventy-One graduates, in
u the different schools; OF this number,
?; twelve were awarded full diplomas.
: Col. Ed. Cooper then,delivered beau
tiful address, and one full of thought,
/ He portrayed in elegant style the Joys
: and beauties that mental cultivation
Z brings to the soul. We regret that we
have not the space to publish the speech
in full, and hope the Athen@um will
: give it to us in the next Guardian. The
Principal then made an appropriate adj
dress to the graduates; after hich the
exercises for the afternoon closed with
the 'Hail Alma Mater chorus.
THE PORTALS OF PARADISE
occurred Thursday night. This was the
most recherche affair that we have had
the pleasure of attending for many
years. Parts of that wonderfully beau
IItul little book, 'Y esterday, To-day and
Forever" were dramatised by the
Smith Bros. for the occasion. The
scenery, tableaux and music, all OF
which were arranged at the Athan@um,
did them great credit. Their represent
| tatiOn of an ETHEREAL, spiritual or imma-
| terial being was the best we have ever
seen in our lives. When the clouds dis
persed, disclosing the Portals, it was
| beautiful beyond description. The mu-
sic was transcendently exquisite. The
| whole thing was so original that the au-
dience was enraptured. Just in the
| beginning OF the play, an accident &C
CURED that was at once ridiculous and |
| alarming. Your reporter confesses that |
! he did not see much of the ridiculous |
| until the excitement had somewhat sub
| ISlG vic haH cd 81,
/ stage and was reciting the last days OF |
| earthly pilgrimage" Everything was |
still as death. The large Hall was dense. |
| ly crowded. There was not foot /
| OF space anywhere unoccupied. |
| hundreds could not get inside at all. |
| The immensely of the crowd had raised |
| Tears and approximations in the minds of |
some, that the building could not hold |
| up under the pressure of the cOwd. just |
| in the midst of these fears, and the |
grave~like stiffness there came an awful |
crash, from the Western wing of the |
| Hall. This was followed by shrieks
and screams. In an instant every per-
son III the house was on foot. Terror |
was depicted in every face. 1.-The house
Is falling" fell from hundreds of trem-
bling lips. Everything was thrown in
TO cOmmOtiOn. Mothers were calling
for children, and children frenzied with
terror were screaming at the top of their
voices. Young ladies tainted; and |
young men yelled trumped-tOngued,
"nO danger" In the midst of this excite
ment the curt aims on the stage caught
fire, and in an instant the blaze shot to
the ceiling. Here followed a scene of
CONSERVATION and confusion that battles
all description. Everybody tried TO get
out at once; and seemed TO be confident
of being burned to death in two sec~
Onds they didn't get out OF the Hall.
No power on earth could have stopped
2 l,af oh
and that simply means herd of peo-
pie without particle of sense. In the
meantime, while the crowd was seams
pering away, the fire was extinguished |
and the stage put III order to carry on
the play. In a few minutes order was
restored; the house was soon crowded |
again, and the play went on. The or
der that the people kept, just On the
heels of such a stampede was truly.wOn-
derful. Not less than ten ladies faint
ed during the panic. Several men leaped
from the windows. Just here we will
state, to avoid future alarms, that there
is no sort OF danger of the floor of that
building ever falling in. There are
eleven cross walls under the floor, and
you might pack people to the ceiling
and it would not brake it down. The
crash mentioned above was the result
often or a dozen boys all getting upon
a koOk>lleepers desk, which gave away
under their weight.
We neglected to state that the Art
Gallery Ofthe AthenHum was thrown
open to the pablo Thursday evening.
This department, like all the rest, gave
evidence that teachers and pupils had
been at work. There were a hundred
and fifty pictures-productioDs of pu-
pills.
Closing Exercises. Columbia Female
Institute.
The examination OF the various classes
Of this institution began with tie Prl~
mary and Preparatory departments on
the 10th inst, and closed with the Cons
mencemnnt Exercises and Soiree Musl-
Gale, on the 18th. Our engagements
were such that we were unable to be
present much OF the time; but the
satisfaction and pleasure universally
expressed by patrons and friends gives
assurance that this venerable lnstltu- !
ton still retains it's popularity, as
atfOrding the highest advantages Tor
female education, both solid and orna-
mental. The annual address OF the Oc~
casiOn was delivered by GeRsral Elrby
Smith, Chancellor of the Nashville L nj
versity, and though less ornate than
some we have heard on former Occ a
sions, was we'll conceived, eminently
practical and elected the approval OF his
audience. The salutatOry was delivers
ed by Miss Chaylie Wagner, of Shelby
VILE ana the valedictOry by Miss Katie
Barnard, of huntsville, A4a., Two Ct the
most beautiful and accomplished young |
ladies of the school, in a manner highly
creditable to them both. To many the
most interesting feature of the occasion
was the very cGnSia crate, yell timed ana
feeling address of DR.. Beckett, to the
class of graduates on comforting their
diplomas. II fOrcibly exhibited the
strong chord that so happily exists
in this school between principal and
pupil. OF the musical entertainment On
Thursday night, too much could not be
said. it is the general opinion of our
BEST musical critics that more credita-
BILE exercise Of the kind was never given
in the Institute Hall, which is certainly
a very high compliment to the teachers
and young ladies engaged in it.
We are gratined to learn from the
Trustees that at their annual meeting,
which was held Immediately upon the
close of the exercises. a resolution was
unanimously adopted by the board, ex-
pressive of their entire satisfaction with
the able assistants which DR.. Beckett
has called around him, of the eminently
useful manner in which the institution
is being conducted, and ofitS high prom~
Use in the future. The fall session of
the Institute will open on theirst Mon
day in September next,
The Mail High school.
The public examination was conducted
-, u, Al Il Tho