The leader., 1903-04-29
Vim. Abshagen.
An Evening al the Public School
Pleasure Swallowed Up in
Disorder.

The Athenian and Olympian
Literary Societies of the Brook
haven Graded Public School gave
most creditable and attractive
program in the school building on
last Friday evening. The girls in
their pretty spring gowns looked
as fair and lovely as the flowers
they wore, while the young men
were fit companions for their as
sociates in school work. Decla-
nation, debate and elocution were
the principal features; and medals
were won, respectively, in these
departments by Houston Maxwell,
Miss Ada Wooley and Miss May
Brown.
Piano duets by Misses lula and
Mary Parsons; Kate Curran and
Fannie Cooke; Beulah Ramsey
and Ruth Hartman, and piano So
los by Misses Sara Storm and
Beulah Ramsey added much to
the pleasure of those who sat very
near to the front and we're thus
enabled to hear a few sentences,
or to catch a few chords of the
program, as the noise and din in
the back of the house ebbed or
flowed.
It is beyond the power of this
pen to describe the disorder of the
evening. 1t surpassed anything
of the kind ever permitted in this
region of country before on
any like occasion. A lot of Co
manche Indians could hardly have
surpassed the whoops and yells,
the whistling and tramping of the
boys" Spit balls were thrown in
the air 1.-TWO of which fell in the
writer's lap), empty metal water
buckets were kicked from one end
of the aisle to the other; boys of
ten and twelve on the third and
fourth rows from the front, kept
up continuous chatter in the
face of pleasant requests from la
dies present to desist. There
was no use; Bedlam broke loose;
land when the tortured nerves Of
these>Women, patrons and warm
supportefs-of the institution, as
they we're, co6ld endure no long
er, they left the hall in despera-
ton and disgust. >Ehe principal
of the school moved abort sedate-
Iy and in apparent unconsc1oasz
ness of any cause of disturbance
or the racking discomfort of his
visitors; members of the board
of control turned once or twice,
like men uncertain of their posi-
tions, or politicians who didn't
know where they're att" parents
and relatives of some of the most
recreant boys as serenely viewed
the scene and bore the brunt of
the onslaught. "The powers that
be" seemed to have ceased to be.
We have been told by teacher
of the school that9the disorder was
caused by ''the suspended boys"
who "led off, some of the young
er element; from a young man of
the town, who was present we
hear that some of the boys had
been drinking and that he "smell-
ed whisky strong" as he passed
among them. It is also stated
that some of the young bloods
we're ''loaded with brick bats;;''
it is evident that they went pre-
pared to raise a rough house,"
and that they did it most success
fully can be attested by every wit
ness present. And this in the
face of "refined sense of pro-
priety," our much-vaunted civil
zation" (forsooth); our duty to
our children; our desire for their
highest good; and the duty of the
host (the Public School) to its
guests, the visitors of the evening!
The audience present was the
sufferer for the time being; but
the disturbers themselves were
done an injury that will, un-
doubtedly, tell on their future and
the future of the school unless
some decisive measure is resorted
to to prevent recurrence of such
debasing and disgraceful conduct.
Was the principal incompetent
! to control the boys2 Had the
Board of Control GU no authori-
ty? Were the telephones all
"gone dead" or the town officers