St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1897-06-25

either in the sermon or in the prayers,
complimentary to her peaceful reign and
the fraternal relations with our country:
Radcliff class day occurred Tuesday
evening, June %, at the Fay House;
Rev George A Gordon OF the New Old
South church, Boston. delivers the bac-
calaureate sermon before the graduating
class at St. Johns Memorial chapel upon
Sunday, June 81. Their commencement
exercises will be held in Sanders thcater
upon June 20, and Harvard college COM
mencement occurs upon the 30th. The
GRAFTON is to be given by Robert Edwin
Odds and the poem by Joseph Hodges
Choate, Jr.
A lawn party was given on the after
noon and evening Of the 18th, on the
beautiful grounds of the Longiellow
estate at Cambridge under the auspices
Of the Social union, one Of the favorite
pbilanthropies OF the city. Mr.. Thorp,
the president of the society, is a son in
law OF the late poet and the Longlellow,
Dana and Thorp houses and grounds
form a continuous estate with connect
ing lawns, while the grounds stretch
back quite distance in the rear. They
were beautifully decorated with about
1900 Chinese and japanese lanterns, and
the Thorp house was ornamented with
flags and buntings. Two years since, for
the first time, the estate was thrown
open for the festival OF this society," and
between 500 and $500 realized. There
were many and various tents inter
spersed among the trees giving a very
picturesque effect to the landscape when
illuminated in the evening. The Har-
ward College Glee club favored them with
songs and there was music furnished by
an orchestra and brass band, and 40 of
the cadets Of the Manual Training school
were on guard duty. There were refresh
ment tables. lemonade and candy stands,
X.ray exhibitions, Punch and Judy
shows, Miss Horsford personated a
gypsy fortune teller, Miss l.. B. Cham
berlain and Miss ]. c. Watts had the
charge of the Turkish booth, in which
Cambridge ladies and gentlemen per-
sonated different nationalities in various
costumes. The donkeys from Franklin
park afforded the children much amuse-
ment in riding and on the whole it was
considered a great success. Mr.. Leigh
Pearson, formerly from Barton and
Peacham, VT, has been the superintend-
ent Of the Social union for nearly eight
years and a member and director from
the commencement many years since.
This society seems to meet need in the
social and educational lite amongst the
poorer classes, and is growing in favor
with the weather. and literary citizens
of this place and might be called a
"Lend-a-hand" society. Mr.. Pearson is
engaged in grand work at their head
quarters on Brattle street, where after
noon and evening classes in many studies
are formed and taught, entertainments
given excursions made, and reading
room and library Tor loaning books to
its members is an attractive feature Tor
the young. Mr. Thorp is patriotic citi-
zen and shows his sympathy with and
for boys by allowing them upon every
Saturday morning the freedom Of his
grounds Tor game OF base ball. Pleas
ant relations appear to exist in this city
between the so called upper and lower
classes of citizens which makes it very
enjoyable one in which to reside.
A. NJ. G.