Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1894-06-29
II. d. MOORE, NJ. d
Naugatuck, Conn.
a ProtestAnt's Criticism,

Dear Editor: When Evers "a German
Protestant clergyman and the most emf
nent of the biographers of Luther)became &
Catholic some ten years ago. he gave as
a reason for the step. that The had at las
taken pity on his children. This Is nc
joke. for he goes on explaining that as ex
aminer of schools for the government, he
had had ample scope to study both the
Protestant and the Catholic system OF
education, to the advantage of the latter
White listening to the performance OF
the children of St Mary's school last might
l could not help thinking of the above say
ing. 1t was to me an educational revela.
ton, to say the least of it. We Protestants
cannot imagine an education which con.
tainS the childlike unquestioning surrender
to the faith in Christ with a behavior and
bearing. which, sin frankneSs and tendency
to frolic and fun is extremely remarkable
When We try to be religious with our child
rem we adopt the cast your eyes to heaven
style and Just follow the line which Christ
has energetically deprecated, that of
the PhariSee praying at the corner of the
street. When We are gay and Jolly we are
apt to be anti religious. Where lies the
secret?
Not having time or space to answer this
question l have to confne myself to a
glimpse at the performance itself con-
TESS that when my kind friend invited me
to the opera house I went there imbued
with the spirit of the martyr, apprehen-
sive of an ordeal of infautile inanities,
but was armed with a good deal of resig-
nation and with the thought that l sat
there in my glory of an educational land
n Protestant one into the barSain( critic.
Critics are apt to be sour and the music
VII oh faA in ha
not of such kind as to sweeten my tenn
per. Tue first fiddle and the other instru-
ments seemed to be at war with each
other very cruelty and had it not been for
the young pianist Miss j. Harvey, l am
sure orchestra and piece would have gone
to pieces. AS it was the young lady who
proved herself to be an artist par excel
lence, saved the orchestra and spared
it the painful sensation of fail
ure. The shepherds Dance, "
which followed. an idyl in white and red,
la Vatican, was thoroughly Arcadlan in
grace and originality. The effect of the
pretty costumes was greatly enhanced by
the many colored lights thrown on the
scene by the Rev Father Mulcahy. The
Death and Burial of Cock Robin" was
unique in its charming array of twenty
brides with curly heads and rosy cheeks.
The two dozen boys in white sailor suits,
who executed a series of very interesting
dumb-bell exercises made an impression
of graceful yet manly bearing, which was,
to my ideas. only equalled by the calls
themes of the junior girls The latter was
an exquisite study in graceful movements.
The Little Shoemakers' and their sweet
voiced soloist, Master Adams, did them
selves great credit if not to their shoes,
and more curious collection of stove
pipes than that of the Niger boys in the
'Order of the Full Moon" has scarcely
been on exhibition under the stars. The
prettist girl of the evening was Master G..
Donohue, the belle in "Panjandrum. "
The two little demure maidens who would
not let each other play in their yard acted
and sung with nerve and naivete most
surprising. 1t was altogether piece of
lovely spitefulness.
But it would be impossible to attempt a
description and criticism of every feature
of the evening. If there was any occasion
for finding fault it was that there was too
much of it. The programme was almost
too rich, which remark, however, may be
taken more like compliment than a
censure. programmes generally failing in
the opposite direction.
One more: The Sisters of Charity have
all reason to be proud of their pupils,
They exhibited combination of frollc
and dignity, deoorum and frank joviality
altogether impressive. Where lies the
secret of it? PEDoGoGUs.