Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1880-04-03
Reception at the southwestern
Presbvterfan University.

Presbyterian Un6FersitY-
We had the pleasant privilege of
attending another delightful recep-
ton at the Stewart Cabinet Build
ing on Monday night last. The stu
dents were out in force, and assist
ed in the duty Of entertaining with
an ease and elegance seldom seen in
those whose brows are yet wet with
the dew Of youth.
The exercises were varied with
reading and music. DR.. Caldwell
presided at the organ. The first
song, 'erhere's Music in the Air"
was sung in good time and with
fine effect BY Messrs. Johnson, Telle,
Grigsby, Pritchard, and Leslie.
These young gentlemen all attend
the University and their improve
tnent in vocal culture is creditable,
both to themselves and their in
structor.
Reading has been elassed as a fine
art, and as lost art. What to read
and how to read it is often a deli
cate and difficult duty. The old
pieces are so familiar, and the new
ones-wen, many of them are not
so good as the old, while 10 the
coldly intellectual few folks will
listen, when they come for enter
tainment. TO strike the happy
medium is always a cause Of con-
graduation. So we can right cor
daily compliment Mr.. VIM. M.
Cox on his selection, as well as up
on his happy rendering of it. Too
often the. rendering is too true,
shocking both sense and sentiment.
''Farm Ballads" by Will Carleton,
are growing in popularity. They
contain many touching things,
which will make even a hard mans
eye catch the trick of tears. Among
the best is the one read by Mr.. Cox,
"Betsey and Are Out" cannot
sum up the story better than by
Tennyson's lines:
s4As thro' the land at eve we went,
4 And pluelzed the ripened ears,
We fell out, my wife and 1,
o we fell out, know not why,
And kissed again with tears"
In this case the cause of the quar-
rel was more definite. Both had |
stock OF temper to start with; they |
disagreed about Heaven, then about |
a lost COW, and to cap the climax,
Betsey broke a bowl.
And that bowl kept pouring discussions in
tue cup,
And the blamed critter COW was always a |
comm up,
And the Heaven they argued no nearer to |
them got,
But gave them taste of something thous-
and times as hot.
The whole tale was touchingly |
told, and twenty years of estrange-
ment ended in a shower of kisses,
thereby spelling dish of gossip
which an ancient virgin had pre-
pared with much care for a public
feast.
"Over the Hill to the Poor House,"
from the same collection, was well
read by Miss Jennie Mattill. The
story of hard life-a wOman's life
for her children, after "JOhn was
taken away" was pathetically pic
tured, and the moral painted in the
old woman at seventy trudging her
weary way to the poor house.
While upon the subject of reading,
it NAV not be amiss to notice the
effort in this institution to develop
a love Of literature. After inquiry,
we find that but few schools in the
South devote so much time to this
department. The rule generally is,
classic culture to the neglect of mod
ern thought and its masters; so that
while our young men converse
Iearnedly on Cicero, they do not
sail so smoothly with the Lake
Shore Poets.
1t is gratifying to note the in
creased interest manifested by the
people at home and abroad in the
of the school. The attend
ance upon these social occasions is
larger, and the graceful and cordial
courtesies extended will tend to
give them a permanent place in
GAINESVILLE social life.