The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1885-06-24
ABBEyILLE HIGH SCHOOL.
A Pleasant Entertainment by tho Pu'
= pils-COurt House CrOWded-Eyery.
body Pleased.

bOdy Pleased.
Last Thursday was a happy day
for the children Of the Able.
vile High School. 1t was the day
appointed on which they were to lay
aside for a time their newly acquired
stock Of learned lore, with all the death
less bards Of Greece and Rome. Ia
gerly have their joyous minds and hearts
been longing for holiday, when the in
trioacies of Grammar would be ~cxchang-
cd for the dclicacics Of Gram'ma.
When the Fathers Of History would
give place in their memories to Grand
father and his sto: les When the mack
crel and the whales Of the Atlantic and
Arctic, would become far less interest
ing and important, than the minnows
and blue-cats Of Long Cane and Little
River: when they might illustrate to
the dctrimcnt Of Squire Jones' corn
field and cotton patch the geomctrical
truth that any side of a triangle is less
than the sum Of the other two sides
when, in their reflective moments, the
Provisions Of the Missouri Compromise
might receive far loss consideration than
those provisions which the domestic in
stincts Of an indulgent mother will al
ways provide for her fond offspring ;
when the pist1s Of Botany might fade
from their memories, and the pistols
the product Of a peculiar civilization,
might linger in their pockets as "a JOY
forever" May these glad youths soon
learn the important fact that mathemat-
les is not the only field Of labor in roots
are to be extracted, and in which rddi-
. Gals perplcx and combinations Devil:
der. May they soon realize that while
they have been engaged in the inter-
probation Of Imaginary quantities,
their parents and the Trustees, perhaps,
in the discussion Of negative results.
On Thursday evening one Of the
largest and most brilliant audiences
ever assembled in the Court House wit
messed the closing exercises Of the
school. The Court Room was filled so
that there was hardly standing room for
the eager crowd. The stage, which &C.
cupied the whole space within the Bar,
was artfully arranged to represent a &C.
cluded dell in the dark AMI secret
shades of the forest, with messy bowers,
creeping ivy, and clustering vines, pine,
OUh 6Ilu CcuNE tTecS ILL tuOSS-COfCTCu
rocks were skillfully placed here and
there on the stage, which was covered
with green leaves and grasses. All
and richest floral decorations made the
scene one of surprising lo~elincss.
After the larger boys Of the school,
assisted by Mrs. Coogler, had discourscd
sweet music to the great delight Of the
audience, Mr. Hodges, the Principal
Of the school, came forward and spoke
in substance rs follows:
Ladies and gentlemen The exercises
on tho part Of the Abbcville High
School are about to begin 1t is proper
for inc to Say before VIC begin, that We
have not prepared IN elaborate and cx-
pensive entertainment, an entertainment
that has in any way interfered with the
legitimate work Of the School. The
boys Of tho School will not participate
in the exercises Of the evening. The
girls alone will furnish you a pleasant
evenings entertainment Of music. poe
try, flowers and beauty. l would say.
here, in their behalf, that it is expected
that all will give them as great quiet
and attention as possible under the cir
c~umstances. To an Abbcvillc audience,
l surely need not say anything more, at
least as to the proper consideration for
children-espccislly girls. If you shall
be pleased with our entertainment in
the least degree bear in mind that you
thanks are due to Col. II. r.. Wardlaw,
to Mrs. Cooglcr, to the girls of the Alb
, bevillc high school, and especially are
they due to your most excellent and
indefatigable teacher Miss White.
The exercises which we offer in re-
turn for yoar encouraging presence to-
night consist of a c~antata, called the
Flower Queen, in which the Flowers
went in n secluded dell to choose n
Queen. a person discontinued with
the world seeks in the same place. re-
tirement from its cares and responsible
tiles. The flowers engage in an ANNA
ted contest rs to who shall be Queen.
Not being able to decide among them
selves they agree to leave it to the Re-
cluse, who decides in favor Of the Rose.
Joyfully they all agree to the decision
of the Recluse, and merrily sing Of love
and duty. The Rccluse receives i'll
struction from the incident and resolves
to return again to the duties and re-
sponsibilities in which his fellow. crea-
lures are engaged.
At n given signal the stage was
crowded AS if 10y magic, with a compa-
ny Of thirty-six girls representing the
Flowers; each dressed in white and
holding wands garlandcd with the flower
she represented, and singing the sweet
chorus We IRE the FoWers." For q
few moments we gaze enchanted at this
scene of indescribable beauty. Sud
denly the flowers disappear, but by no
means in confusion, amid the dark re-
ccsscs Of tho miniature forest, and the
Recluse, ably impcrsonated by Col. ii.
Il. Wardlaw, sings in language that
0 changed the scene, which, but a
moment ago, was one Of loneliness and
besuty, into a wierd solitude and desc
late landscape, reminding one forcibly
Of the poverty Of his own heart amid
wealth Of love, beauty and affection
For one hour the large audience, crowd
ed almost to suffocation, and fairly
melting with fervcnt heat sat delight
ed with these wonderful kaleido.