The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1888-10-05

nave 20 pay Tor Voo privilege Oy e9oycs1Su8
thsir talents In The drawing room, but they
got there, and II Il considered that they
ought to feel highly honorsd.
Perhaps the fact that these actors ass 20
often met with In society reacts TO their dis
advantage ~ 'Nttle tin gods" There can be
no glamour or halo about man who gives q
girl q cup Of tea and talks TO her about the
thousand nothings Of the day. She will
probably 60 to go him act, but there can
never be that delightful mystery Of the foot
lights about him again. The everyday light
of the salon may turn him into friend or
pleasant acquaintance, but can never elevate
him again to the shrine Of the unknown and
unattainable.
Harry Dixey seems to have that peculiar
quality called magnetism. Nothing else, not
sven the decidedly "showy" costumes Of his
.horus women can account for the fact that
his old play "Adonis" continues to draw
pretty fair audiences here, against tho much
stronger attraction Of ''Erminie" and Lord
Fauntleroy." Dixey's good looks, ease and
grace Of bearing and wonderful dancing are
hardly enough in themselves to account for
his ''pull" His mimicry, particularly his
imitation Of Henry Irving, sticks in the
SPECTATORS memory.
The Boston matron Lack none of the ira
ditional dignity of the Roman matron when
sne IL enlisted in soul stirring cause. In the
assessors office the other day a woman came
with an infant in her arms and another child
by her side She wanted to get taxed 80 that
she might vote in behalf Of the schools to
which she looked for an education for these
children by-and-by.
The New Highlander, in whatever corner
of the six states he may dwell, may as well
be informing himself about the public school
agitation, for sooner or later it is sure to ex-
tend to his neighborhood.
1t is the great, almost the only topic of
the day in Boston. Party politics, the tariff
and all that are almost lost sight of by the
multitude. Unfortunately religious preju-
dices play such an important part in the agi-
tation that at times the real problem seems
almost lost sight of.
One significant fact crops out everywhere
in this controversy, and that is that the real
question is not so much whether the paro-
chial schools shall be compelled like other
private schools to acknowledge the sover-
eighty of the state, or whether public school
money shall be diverted to the use of these
schools, but whether there shall not be sub
stituted for the non-sectarian common school
system a system under which each religious
denomination shall maintain schools OF its
own, with of course the expectation Of event
ual aid from the public treasury.
All the well-informed Roman Catholics I
have met, admit that this is what they look
forward to-, and they point to the recent
movements of the Methodist and Episcopal
ruling bodies as proof that the Roman
church is not alone in the desire to supervise
the education of it's children.
Nevertheless the political fight which we
have on hand for this fall does not concern
directly the question whether the common
school system shall be preserved, but whether
church influence shall be allowed to become
prominent in it's management. 1t promises
to be very hot autumn.
The reserves are likely to come out at the
city election as they never did before, and
the result no man can foretell
M*x
The part which women have played in this
movement has caused the frequent expression
of the belief that the woman suffrage law |
will be repealed by the next legislature.
The act giving women the right to vote for |
school committee was passed as an expert |
ment Now public school men are Disguised |
because they believe that the women have |
spoiled the chance for turning out some of |
the present school committeeman, and |
parochial school men are fully as much dis
pleased for more complex reasons.
Apparently the women voters will number
nearly 10000. Just how they will divide is
not easily guessed, but the chances are that
the majority will vote the ticket that is sup
ported by Roman Catholic influence.
If the assessors estimate is correct the
women will aid in defeating the present
board, for they think few more Protestant
women have been assessed than Catholic.
This agrees with the statement made by the
Catholic canvassers who Went from house
to house on the closing days of assessment
making the assertion that the priests wanted
the more intelligent Catholics to turn out and
get assessed because ''ths Protestants are
third ahead of u.s."
The women voters for school committee
will number more than third of the whole,
for over q, 600 women have been purposely
assessed, and there are several thousand who
pay property taxes and may get registered.
A good many ignorant women have been
to useless trouble in getting assessed, for
they will have difficulty. in passing the
registrars examination
The parochial schools of Boston now have
a seating capacity of 10000, or one-sixth the
average number of children attending
schools of all sorts. It is probable that not
more than one-third of the Catholic children
are yet gathered into the parochial schools of
this city Some years must elapse before
they are all removed from the public schools
One of the funniest incidents of the period
is the strike of hired girls in some of the
suburbs for so cents more pay a week, which
extra amount they subscribe to the parish
schools. A good many families have COM
lbined against the move, and are in conse-
quence without help.
The Handel and Haydn society has some
It is going to weed the people with
cracked voices out of its chorus by compelling
all who have been members for over ten
years to have their voices examined by an
expert. Some good singers have heretofore
refused to join this renowned organization,