The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-04-07
"YE DEEsrRlcT SCHOOL,"
The Funniest and Most Successful En-
tertainment Of the Season.

wears for an hour last night, and |
brought back to recollection "Ie Dees- |
trict School" Of we olden TYNE. And
it was decidedly the most successful
revival this country from the Capitol |
to Ramkhatte has ever seen.
On this framework of the old coun-
try school was hung fabric of nat |
ural humor and merry fun, of whose |
changing variety the audience never
tired
Miss Eliza Pool-the most autocratie |
sehool-marm that ever waved a switch |
was the inimitable mistress of the |
school The costumes varied quite as
much as the scholars from the broad
cloth of Samuel to Billie, whose trou-
sers were patched until they looked
like map of Texas.
The school was divided into three
sections: The morning session, the
school recess, and the afternoon SEES
sion The fun began when school
opened and became faster and more
furious to the end.
what are the products Of North
Carolina, p" was asked Billie Russ, of the
Geography class.
pitch and turpentine," he glibly
answered.
anything else?"
"Yes'm; a good deal of corn liquor
Bound Raml1hatte,' commanded
the teacher of Johnny MacRae.
Bounded on the south by Yates
pond on the north by FauntlerOy Tay
Tor, on the West by Furman Belts, and
on the east by ploughed ground" was
the ready response.
THE population Of Raleigh" said
little Graham Haywood, lis 13,08o-
and Mayor Russ"
What animal is the most dangerous
and persistent foe Of man." asked the
school-marm.
Woman replied Johnny Kenny.
"What is an article?" asked the
teacher of her grammar class.
Something written by Greek An
drews, Bob Gray or Tommie Pence.
answered scholar.
Prof Fale Arendell, the singing
school teacher accompanied by his
tuning fork, entered during the morn
ing session. and gave as a sample copy
a thrilling silver song of his own com
position, with this 16 to / chorus:
"Oh, the silver dollars coming,
It's coming bye and bye;
Its the shibboleth of freemen,
And on them you can rely.
a. in seventeen seventy-siX
Great Britain they defy,
And the silver dollars coming,
Bye and bye"
1T was one of the hits of the play.
All kinds Of games were INDUCED in
by the "chillun" during recess, includ-
ing an old-fashioned dance, ended 10y a
.sshew round in which Plumme1
Bachelor was premiere danseuse,' .
so to speak One of the principal
amusements was stepping on John
MacRae's sore toe.
The afternoon session was the climax,
the icing on the cake. 1t was
as full Of fun as the house was Of follss.
There was an old-fashioned spelling
school IN which Farmer Jodie Daniels
and Fonsie Avery chose sides" and
spelled down the house. Little Gra-
ham Haywood read composition on
Kites" Samuel Patterson discoursed
ON Water Fowls" Willie Stronach de-
liyered an original recitation, Miss
Patsie Montgomery recited a beautiful
original poem on Spring" Miss Rosa
Broughton read composition on
Fishes" Plummer Bachelor read the
wittiest composition of the year ON
'"fhe Cat" Benny Lacy brought down
the house with his composition on
heads" Johnny Kenny recited, with
thrilling pathos, a new selection e'l-
titled, sThe Boy Stood on the Burning
Deck (the first time ever presented ON
| any stage), Willie Russ read a compO-
sition on Girls" Miss Bessie Bates
| read an original essay ON Birds,
| while Mrs. Carter recited a lovely new
/ poem entitled, ''The Dead Bird, Geog-
| gle Thompson recited q beautiful poem
| In twenty-nine verses, that was not
written By Alfred Tennyson. Alex
| McPheeters 1.-THE boy with the broad
| red coIlar), recited a very amusing Sc
| lection from 'sThe History of the City
| of Raleigh Before Its Foundation,
| Miss Pattie Montgomery sang that pop
| uIar song Of the day, ben Bolt, (Ben-
| ny was the school-mate of Miss Alice
| TriIby, you know, and Miss Battle
| gave the most thrilling elocutionary
recital Of that grand new poem that be-
| gins:
ION Linden when the sun was low,
| All bloodless lay the untrodden snow,
| And dark as winter was the flow
| Of Iser, rolling rapidly"
These features all brought forth
| great laughter and applause, but no en-
| cores were allowed, except when the
| audience, en- masse, demanded that
Billie Russ be again brought forth
The encore wouldn't be discouraged
and Billie came. He sang, accompany
| ing himself on his banjo, that pathetic
| melodious old Carolina negro song,
Way Down on the Old Cape Fear" the
audience applauded him wildly and
asked for more. He gave them a speci-
men of the ''hallelujah shuttle" and
| then went out to return no more.
Willie Stronach ended the session Of
| ''Ye Deestrict School" by an artistic
rendition Of that triumph of melody
| of which the chorus runs something
| like this:
lii, Ia la, la, Lii, la, loo"
There may funnier things than We
| Deestrict School, but they haven't
| been in this neck o. woods.
*ba al ina