New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-06-20
NrU FORM or COMMENCEMENT

Tho notion has long prevailed that the cXer-
cises attending the graduating of young people
from institutions Of learning might DC maze W
assume q more practical and perhaps more valu-
able character. It has not been safe to take the
literary efforts of the young folks as correct
index of the future success which they woulo
win in the world Bulbous-browed young men
have read touching essays on " Lies Duties OF
delivered fierce invectives against Inc rcildl
System of Russia. who have never i'll alter years
DISTINGUISHED themselves Interesting young
ladies' have finished their high school course WIN
readings of long manuscripts entitled Forward !"
and Rowing, not Drifting who have not seemed
to derive any particular benefit from these literary
efforts Men have married divine young creatures
who have Just read moving essays Oh " The True
Aim of Womanhood" and Gliding Down Lifes
Stream, and found inside of week that the girls
could not make pie. There seems to be no con-
nection whatever between the ability to write an
essay on The Threshold Of Life and the
knowledge of how to sew q button so that
il will cling through thick and thin. The eS-
say and the Grafton are misleading and there
has lcng been q demand for some sort OF COM
meucement exercises which would give hint
of the ability of the graduates TO grapple WIN
the actual problems OF their coming lives An
answer to this demand seems to have been found
at the new girtsT school of Rosemary Hall, at
Walingford Conn.
According to published newspaper reports, the
recent graduating exercises at Rosemary Ilall
were Of the most unique character, and consisted
of novel horse-harnessing contest for q
prize of a silver mounted carriagc-whip. There
were four young ladies in the graduating class
Ordinarily they would have written essays of the
Vision of the Future" type. but this kind Of thing
is not encouraged at Rosemary Hall When the
hour arrived, after prayer by the chaplain ana
| music by local orchestra, four horses were led
| into the yard and each tied to a separate post.
The four young ladies stood in line ten feet ne
hind the horses, each with harness in her hands.
| The orchestra played quickstcp, and at the
word from the principal the contestants bounded
| forward The excitement is reported to have been
intense. Each young lady worked her hardest
The horses collars were first slipped on, and then
| the brides we're adjusted. One refractory beast
refused to take in his bit and pOked his nose up
| in the air at an angle Of forty-fve degrees, but
! his harnesSer stretched up on the tips OF her
toes and forced the bit in so quick that 1t aston
ished him. His ears good deal crumpled
as she put the top of the bride In place, but it
was pronounced good enough for him. Then the
main parts of the harnesses were seized and thrown
over the horses. Miss DilwOrth fumblcd at her
haule-strap and lost five seconds Miss Watson S
horse pretended to get frightened and began 20
! prance about and snort but she admoniShed him
| with the end OF q trace and he cooled down. Miss
| PeabodyS animal, the that had inserted his
nose up into the atmosphere, tried to step on her
toes, but she too quick for him and touched
him up with the end of one of the reins. Miss
| Hazards horse crooked one of his knees and
| began eating grass, but She checked
him up with jerk that made him re-
greet it Ten seconds later she stepped
| to his head and saluted the principal as signal
that she had finished. She was declared winner.
Time four minutes and thirty seconds. Miss
Watson pointed to two long straws in the tail OF
| Hiss Hazards horse and cried Judgment" but
1t was decided that the contest purely on
speed in Harvesting and it mattered not if there
were a whole haystack in the horses tail. Miss
| Peabody also claimed foul on the ground tina,
Miss Dllworths horse had switched his tail in her
face and half blinded of her eyes, but it was
not allowed The horses were then led back to
the stable and the diplomas given out. Miss
Hazard lives in Providence. Il. |.
OF course 1t does not necessarily follow that
the young lady standing first In the horse-harness-
ing contest will have the greatest success in life
if she had written the latest essay on The Music
of the Spheres" II she knows nothing of pie and
buttons she will have O hard struggle, but We
believe it is highly probable that she doe.
know o great deal about pie and buttons. Any.
how, we welcome the form of commencement
and hope to see it extended to sweeping, sewing
and bread-baling contests
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