Morning journal and courier., 1885-04-17
H1LLHoUsE HIGH SCHOOL.

The graduating exercises of the class of '85,
 Hillhouse High school, were held last even
 ing in Carll's Opera House. The house was
 filed to overfowing by the many friends of
 the class; hardly a sect in the whole house
 was not occupied. At o'clock the curtain
 rose, showing the fourth, third and junior
 classes arranged on the usual raised seats.
 '85 marched in and took the seats reserved for them near Ae front of the stage The
 young ladies were all simply and tastefully
 arrayed in white, with flowers. Governor Harrison and MT. s. T. Dutton, superintend- ent of schools, and MT. Whitmore, the assist ant principal, sat on the right of the stage with MT. Curtis, the principal. The mem bers of the Board of Education occupied the lower right hand boxes. The evenings pro gramme occupied about two hours and three quarters The large assembly present lis tened with undivided interest until the close. The exercises reflected much credit on '95. The different essayists acquitted themselves ! well and were each warmly applauded. Through passage way which divided the ladies and gentlemen, the essayists in their turn advanced, upon the announcement made by MT. Curtis, to confront the sea of l faces and discharge their respective tasks. Most of them passed the trying ordeal very successfully. On the extreme left of the stage Professor Jepson, conductor of the mus | ical exercises, seated, and near by Harry
 F. Earle presided at the piano. In the aud fence were many citizens more or less promi- nentin the various walks or life,
 The audience heartily applauded both when the curtain was lifted and when the l graduating class took their places. MT. Curtis announced the first exercise of the
 evening .Joy in Spring." a song by the ! school. Tbe three hundred and fifty voices 1 of the chorus were remarkably strong According to Professor Jep- ! son, the musical director, the school ! rendered the song ''the best they ever did. '" l The first essay of the evening was that of l Miss Annie K. Joslin upon the subject ''Our | Duty to Our Mother Tongue" This was Q ! neatly constructed and we'll written essay, 1 showing the importance of the English Ian 1 guage and dwelling upon the introduction of | foreign words into it. The next essay was ! entitled sfThe Minstrels of the Middle Ages" by | Miss Lucy M. Pierpont The troubadours were perhaps the most noted of these minstrels, | vet the songs of the other minstrels form a very important feature in the history of music and romance.
 l Owing to the request of the Board of Edu- cation the presentation of flowers dis pensed with.
 l The solos of the evening were rendered by
 
 the graduating class. She has very sweet voice, and the obligato solo "Kyrie" from Haydn's Third Mass in D, with which she with the school now favored the audience, 1 was one of the most enjoyable features of the programme.
 Owing to the illness of MissHelenM Thom- | as the next essay, the subject of which. as given on the programme was, "The Massacre | of Glencoe" was omitted and Miss Jessie M. P. Rowe followed with an essay on "Educa- l ton in the South" Miss Rowe gave an in | teresting account of the gradual develop ment of the educational system in the South. ! The essay was worthy of much merit and was received with great applause.
 | The next feature was the pleasing song | ''The House that Jack Built" It is one of | Caldicott's humorous glees, and was sung by | the school with the animation with which the presentation of it has been characterized on previous occasions,
 l The essay on Caste in America by Miss Nellie E. Robinson. was well-worded pro duction giving, with remarkable degree of | truth, the system in America of judging 8 man by the "coat he wears" Education and culture alone give the requisites to worthy titles and should be the condition of passport into the highest social circles | Worth should be characteristic of the high est states of society and until this is the case our society will not conform to our ideal. ] The essay of Miss Mary E. Bassett upon EsThe Battle of Conscience in Macbeth" was | an admirable portrayal of the torture of con- | science of Macbeth before and after the mur- | der of the King, and was one of the best of the occasion. Brightly the Morning." se- | lection frem Von Weber's well known opera 'sEuryan D with obligato solo by Miss Aus ! tin was then sung. Miss Austin's fine voice | figured to great advantage "The Myths of Different Nations was the subject of Miss l Henrietta Feuchtwanger's essay. Espe- 1o1 off VIU 10 myths of the Greeks and Romans. How prominent these myths are in the history of peoples is well known to every reader. Then the different kinds of myths with their ori gin and the peculiar kind by which every history is characterized were set forth with the value which is due them.
 With the exception of the valedictorian, MT. Edmund D. Scott was the only male es- sayist. His subject was Washington IT. | wing" MT. Scott dwelt mainly upon the literary productions of this eminent author.
 "The Sketch Book" etc., are works
 s.ss whea bas g5' the character n9s only S ths writer 'FThe Alhambra" and Conquest of Granada" are the best of his Spanish works. , Irving lived and died grand type of the Christian gentleman, The next feature of | the programme was the selection "Arion | paniment. This selection was evidently a | favorite one with the scholars, and it was ad- mirably rendered by the entire chorus with precision and fine effect.
 The essay upon ''The Eloquence of Noble | Living" by Miss Alice E. Reynolds, was the
 most practical of all the essays, and pictured ] the value of doing the little things of every | day life we'll. ''The common deeds of the | common day are ringing bells in the far away"
 William A. McQuaid next presented an ! essay upon E'The Ideals of Ancient and Mod
 
 | address. The characteristics of the an cient heroes vera set forth and compared | with those of the modern. The nobility of | the characters of Washington and General Grant was taken as the type of the latter. ! The valedictory extended thanks to the citi- zens of New Haven for their efforts to pro | mote the standard of culture as near the American ideal as possible. The Board of Education, superintendent, principal, the l sub-master, Whitmore, and teachers were all kindly remembered and thanked for the many kindnesses received at their hands. MT. | Jepson, the director in music, received a pleasant greeting. To the schoolmates and classmates the valedictorian next addressed himself s'For the last time we are met as 8 | class and it is my sad duty to bid farewell" :" | After fine rendering of the'' 'Hallelujah Chor- l us" the diplomas were presented by Cover ! nor Harrison, who was introduced by MT. Dutton MT. Harrison spoke somewhat as | uO0S | anything for the last time, knowing it to be the last, without sadness and regret. This is
 the hour when you cease to be pupils of the l High school. You have formed many l friendships, some of which will be broken tonight. I will avail myself of the sentiment now in your hearts and say few common place words. Your valedictorian referred to the Board of Education and instructors, but he did not refer to the State of Connecticut. You are the children of the State and to this State do we owe our noble system of public education. The more you study the history | of the State the prouder y9q will be that you are it's children. One chapter in your life is
 closed and tomorrow you open another. It is for you to determine what shall be written in it. The question lies
 before you, what you shall be-
 The secret of success lies in the performance of every day duties by which character is built up. Your valedictorian referred to the
 noble character of one who now lies on bed or sickness. The people all love him-not because he Is without faults, but because he always performed his duty with unquestion- ing loyalty. This was the seereG of his pow CT and the true greatness of his life.
 "You have one pleasant place; other pleas
 ant places will be found, other friendships ko 1o,.;,, ,I,o