Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1877-02-13
E,s,JScopai High school.

cQcc WAS IN attendance 10 "ltuesS tEE '"alo VI
certificates to successful examines, and to ap-
rlaua the ambitious young performers. Avery
respccEablc delegation from the adjacent SEMI
narv was present. while the numerous AIeXah-
lria lady lair spriuklel judicious}y through the
| audience, served to keep in perpetual tlutcr
! the more imprcSsonahle youth.
Principal Black ford presented the long desIr-
ed papers (which passed the boys and stated
the names ur such IS had been distinguished IN
all examinations. No! few Of these "braluey
Individuals" As one CT them styled tho rest,
are from our own Alexandria. This ragged
edge" feature Of the exercises over young gen
tIemeu Bayari aud Beckwith rendered Shake
speare's dialogue between CassiuS and Brutus,
wherein the cralty couspirator sccksto persuade
the old Roman honorable to endorse the plot
against Caesar. Beth Bayari and Beckw'h
acquitted themselves handsomely. Then iol-
lowed a recitation, "Bcrnado del Carplo,' by
Master Magce, who delivered his piece with
much commenlabIe fire and energy.
Alter a short recess Prof. Sehari, the well
known clocutionist read Eugene Aram,
tSupcrHuous Man, Bachelor Dream, anu
"Widow Bcdolt's Remark, following these
readings by recitation oil Shamus y brlep.
The gentleman Increased his reputation. La
the evening the Professor read to dslIghted
audience selections from christmas Carols
lie was, ii possible, yet more delicious than
during the earlier LAY in his choice OF piece and
rendering of the same The gentleman has 1
native Unborn sense OF the fitness Of Evolutionary
things, and knows how to exhibit comedy
because he has 50 keen an appreciation oil the
comica!
I Last evening (Monlayl the Fairfax Literary
| Society gave an entertainment at the liIg
School, tho proceeds Of which arc 10 be applied
for the benefit Of the society library. We can
not too highly praise the enterprise Of these
young gentlemen who are the "Farlay men. -
, The audience was large and appleciative, the
entertainment lilstclass. Prof Schar read,
OF rather acted, in full, Shcridan's play Of the
+, Rivals" The cIocutionist was in his happest
mood, aud kept his hearers in raroxysms OF
: uproarious laug liter. lie performed his diff
cult task OF rendering the lob!cs oil man rldIcG-
e lous without making iarclca himself or them,
: in a manner which was lnlmItabiy clever.
/ Verify if Prof. Scharl could have taken the
i part oil! Acres at the first presentation OF!
n this play 10 British public, no critic could
l ever nave NrlllcU, DIS I! WY aUl~ ouS oit
"Ki7aIs" failed Oh its first appearance through
f certain deficiencies il acting.
:, According to promise, Rev. Mr.. Lindsay, OF
Warreutou, announced as the subject OF his
/ lecture Aud Robin Gray" lie devoted very
} few words, however, to the poem ITSELF aud
; confined his remarks to the llc and character 81
l its very distinguished authOress. ltw0uld have
been very pleasing to the attentive listeners II
he had given his opinion in detail as 10 the
. ballad, or to The reason Of It's popularity, and
the reason ia itself; or to its relative rank among
the i.ngIish and Scotch ballads, or to Its Gle
e mcns ot strength and beauty. 1t Is CT course
i we'll known 10 the gentleman that the "baIiad
Grille found very little to admire III Auld.Roblu
! Gray" As az essay on Ann Lindsay, the gentle
: mans effort was an admirable one. lie began By
y aludjnr 10 the Importance Of ballad makers
! among literary men and among lilleratc. The
r traces Of national thinking arr most easily seen
in The successive strata Of National ballads. let
NE wake the ballads OF 4 century aud let him
who peases make its laws. The lecturer held
that men make the laws aud ballad; make the
t meu. | cannot give the readers g! the
y Gazette any satisfactory cniona Of the lec-
. ture. ln he appreciated II must be heard.
. Ann Lindsay (a!ttrwarl Lady Bernard and
, authoresa OF Aud Robin Hray,) was born 1t
j Balclarris Castle 10 100. This old Scotch cas-
tie affords the lecturer a topic for fnn dcscrip.
tive writing. ID this romantic pile OF stones,
situated in the midst o.! scenery al once the
> most som5rc and picturesque, 10 an atmosphere
y Of old mystery "nd legends OF brave men and
) lovely women, Auu Lindsay spent her early
, years aud brcathcd in the pIaintve spirit which
= waS at lcnch !reathed out ia "Auld Robin
t Grar.' Here it WIS that she met Sophie
lohnsan, Aun II!nlSay's beau IDEAL OF Oddly.
) S0rhic ,I0hus1u Was the s:raDgcSl OF strange
ran;.i,, The wierdcs. character n all the books.
> She WAS born TO parents who held ali learning
> "sua.rfu1us gimcrack that it WAS uGbr-
clmiHg ia :. young WOMAN To think that she
had 10 business with "a intelligent preference
| and aversion, and Who swore on thG strength
c Of their theory that did tod bless them with
a daughter sic should never know anything. .
Sophic lived and died Il hopeless bel pcss med-
ley OF ina1nGruItlna. Nature lett to itself never
could have made her woman. Ete twenty
years of age she made trunks like The most ap.
proved leather worker in Bristol; @hc had beat
Ell all tue smiths al sh11lng horse, had learned
Ito rlay the fiddle Of the Devil with the grace
. Of a Christian" had growted herself u!o a
very guared bass, and made the question Of
her sex 4 very weed question am0Gg her Dear
est kilh and kin. Her character is y cause Of
eternal quarrel to the aaaiYsisls Of the hybrlhs
of our species 10 Balcharrls Castle Ann Lind
say met David Hume. Ann Lindsay had an
hereditary right to genius. Her ancestors, male
and female, were distinguished, without cx-
= ccptian, for an hundred years before Der time,
by some talent, legitimate or ldiosyncratic. In
} Ana was exhibited her fathers strength aud
mothers supplenoss. Strange that sho was
willing to rest fame On single ballad
Strange that she had not written an epic, who
wrote s8eclcr paslorals than Milton. Aud
Robin Cray was composed when the aulhoress
vas in her twenty. first year. The old sheep.
tender at Baclarris Castle gave the name and
crude material Of the ballad. AIMS little sis.
ter gave the line, land the COO was stale ava,
while the cG;ll Influence Of Sophie johnson
shaped he ballad to the rorn it wears. Thus
from the ghost pcopIcd castle OF AIMS early
hour went forth a mere scribblc for killing
times sake, which to men is as the best Of
pastorals, and fountain Of sad tears. Ann
| LINDSAY denied the authorship of the bal