Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1886-06-11
@Stauptop indicator. $
FRIDAY MORNING, JUNE, IL. 1886.
LOCAL.
EDUCATIONAL.
HOW THE SCHOOLS CLOSE.

WESLEYAN FEMALE NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
TON FEMALE sEMINARY-D. D. s. B.
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. MALE ACADE-
MY-MIssEs PHILLIPS s. VESTS SCHOOL
SCHOOL NOTES.
&C., &C., &C.
Lately great loads Of trunks have been
das ing through our streets, while our
railroad stations have been the scenes Of
many touching farewells. We give below
sketch of the exercises which took place
just before the departure of these young
ladies', and list of the Distinctions,
Diplomas, Prizes, Medals, &C., awarded.
An account OF the closing exercises Of
other schools in the city and county will
also be found below
- Wesleyan Female Institute.
The commencement exercises of the W.
| F. I. began with the annual celebration
| of the Lee and Jackson Literary Society,
in the Opera House Friday night.
| This Society is an old one, and is sup
ported with great enthusiasm by its MEM
befa They publish a magazine, the Alma
Meter, which stands we'll among colleges
journals.
The celebration Friday evening, but
adds one more to the many pleasant en-
| tertainments given by this society. The
| Sslutatory by Miss Anna l.. Haw, and
the ValedictoEy of Miss LYDIA G. Miller
showed careful preparation add matured
r thought. A distinguished Virginia edu
Gator now living, when asked what quail
| ficatlons were essential for the prepara-
ton of popular commencement address,
replied: ITO be able tosay nothing grace
fully" These young ladies were excep-
lions to this principle. Their addresses
were we'll received, and yet their senten-
ces we're not mere meaningless jargon,
selected more for the sake of the harmony
of words than because Of the thoughts they
contained, but were pregnant with sublime
and ennobling truths which if needed must
effect the future of their classmates.
Miss Glen G. Carter read an essay on
''Friction,' while Miss Marguerite S.
Brown chose for her subject, ''Vestigla
Nulla Retrorsum. To the averaged
commencement patron the essay is
looked upon as a kind of necessary
evil, and the heartless way in which
they fix themselves in an easy position
and assume far off look when the master
of ceremonies has 1.-THE pleasure OF intro
ducing the next essayist," is a disgrace
to our boosted civilization. But If any
one expected, on last Friday night, to
quietly dream of the past and future dur
ing the period allotted to essays, they
were mistaken. BY carefully rounded
periods and choice thoughts, these young
ladies succeeded in keeping the attention
of the unusually large audience assembled
. The public has come to look upon reel
tations with more favor and when it was
i announced that Miss Lima B. Slater
| would recite "Where is Annette and at
another time the announcement was made
that Mrs. McWilliams and the Light
ning' would be recited by Miss Agnes
Smith, the audience held itself in readl.
ness to either laugh or cry as the occasion
might demand; in other words, it put it.
self in sympathy with the young ladies
and this courtesy was richly rewarded, fol
during Miss alater's exceedingly natural
PRESERVATION Of mother raving over the
loss of her child, it was evident that the
spirit of the recjter and Of the piece, had
infused the audience, while later in the
evening when Miss Smith, in an mimi
table style, personated Mortimes's vair
search for the upper end OF his panta-
looms, there was a noticeable tendency or
the part of the audience to laugh. Miss
Smith possess the rare faculty of person
ating different characters with ease. Sht
sustained the dialogue requiring the per
sonation Of first Mr.. Nc Williams and the1
his wife with great credit. Her persona
ton of Mr.. McWilliams was very natural
while that of his shrill voiced wife was re
markably so-possibly painfully natural t.
some.
! The various calisthenic exercises evinc
4 ed natural grace and careful drilling. Th
military company created quite sensa
ton. The audience burst into applause
several times, as with the accuracy of reg
ulars they executed the command of thei
firm commander.
The various features of the evenin
were interspersed with music by the Stone
wall Brigade Band.
ART RECEPTION.
The art room of the Wesleyan Femal
Institute was open from II A. M. to E
M. Saturday, for the reception of visitors
: The number of oil paintings was unusual
< | ly large, exhibiting vast amount of wei
] developed talent Among those who ha
contributed several pieces of decided me-
, it to this exhibition, we noticed the name
! of Misses Maud Marx, Gussie Jones, Wi
h lie Johnson, Mary Blanchard, Agne
Smith, Anna Mccall, BERTHE Mitchell ADJ
r liza CorpeW and others.
The paintings of Misses Lizzie DAME
and Emma Bennett, teachers in other de
partments than art, attracted considers
BILE attention.
The commencement sermon of this In
| ef;tutio, Voc oh d Supdav of a