The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1882-07-13
THOUGHTS ON COMMENCE.
MENT EXERCISES.

i. All over this sunny land of ours
there is feverish excitement.
; Once happy homes, that in days
gone by resounded with the mer-
ry laugh of childhood are now
filled with uncertainty, corrected
manuscript, dismay, Gibbons, starch,
and unabridged instrumental mu-
sic. The distracted mother super
intends the goring and shirring
and bias cutting of muslin dresses,
while the exasperated father
smokes in the wood-shed that be
may escape the inharmonious
combination of the sewing ma.
chine, piano, and baby, in the
house. The young people prowl
around the premises declaim.
ing speeches, and being stuck full
Of pins in trying on basted and
unfinished garments. The school
commencement season is upon Us.
1t is in the Female Seminary that
the commencement RACES with
most fury, and in the homes of the
girls about to graduate that there
is the devil and the dressmaker to
pay. There is grief and sorrow
in the bosom of Mary because she
has to wear some of Julia's last
years garments, and Julia stamps
her foot and dishevels her tempo
rary bang because she has not
been appointed to deliver the val.
edictory wall Of the graduating
class. On che evening that the
exercises take place, the school
house will be full of the relations
of the pupils and the friends of
education; most Of the latter are
| bald. headed, and would much pre-
fer being in some cool cellar play
ing crack loo for the beer, but
they feel that the cause Of educa-
tion, and their wives, demand
their presence and countenance.
The principal of the school reads
some statistics regarding the sue
cess OF the institution. Then there
| instrumental music and a duet
| with chorus. The little girl who
seems to be pinned on to large
blue sash, recites q little speech
with hesitation and much prompt
ing from the teachers, and all the
ladies, except the mothers of
several other little girls, say,
.Ain't she cute ? while the gen.
.tlemen applaud. Some more
music and cantata, and eneores
and things, aud then young
lady who is said to be engaged
to be married as soon as she
graduates, reads an original es-
say on the 'Profundity of the
Infnite,' which depresses the
spirits Of the audience, and puts
them in a proper frame of mind TO
bear song and accompaniment,
of the operate sky-rocket style,
by another young lady who sings
in q soprano voice and the Italian
language.
This sort Of thing continues for
two hours, when the principal
presents each member of the grad
uating class. with parchment
diploma tied with a red ribbon,
and then turns the audience out
into the cool embrace of 10 p. no.,
everyone highly pleased with the
evenings entertainment as the
papers say.
In our minds eye we see the
young lady-who was educated
to write essays on The Profurdity
of the Infinite and kindred SUBJ
iects-we see her in the course of
time marry a man who clerks in a
dollar store and reads the New
York Weekly serial stories in bed.
We see her trying to compass the
duties of cook and housekeeper,
while the cares of several children
add to her responsibility. And
there is the girl who played and
sang that segment Of an Italian
opera, she is married TO a man
who cuts inscriptions of tomb.
stones for a living, and who
wouldn't know the difference be.
tween a note of Italian music and
a counterfeit Confederate bond
These girls do not seem after mar
raiage to take suck depth Of com.
tort out of their education and
parchment diplomas as one would
expect, but nevertheless there
must be Italian operas and essays
on The Profundity of the lnfin'
ite,' or our school commencement
1la.n ,-,,o- 80 oJ,oo