CONCERT AT TEMUKA.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XIII, Issue 35, 25 December 1885, Page 17

CONCERT AT TEMUKA.

(From the Temuka Leader.) The concert in aid of the funds of the Temuka Convent School, given by the school children in the Volunteer Hall last Wednesday night, was a great success. The Hall was crowded to its utmost capacity, and judging by the frequency with which the performance was applauded the audience were highly pleased. The ball was well decorated with fljwers, and the stage was tastefully dressed, credit for which must be given to Mr. and Mrs. Beri and Miss Gaffaney, who worked hard on the previous day at it. Mr. Quinn, who occupied the chair, said he had great pleasure in presiding that evening. He hoped that they would remember the ages of the performers and be indulgent of their faults. He then spoke on the education question at some length, and said the Catholics of New Zealand were heavily handicapped. It was a surprise to him and to many others, how the Catholic schools maintained their own against the Government ones. Time after time the Catholics of New Zealand, from Southland to Auckland had presented petitions to Parliament, but they were taken no notice of— they were torn up and thrown into the wastepaper basket. There were men in the House who were inclined to do justice to Catholics, but they were in the minority, as the Catholics of New Zealand were also, and he would specially mention one member of South Canterbury— Mr. 8. Turnbull. Notwithstanding the disappointments they had met with, they would still continue to agitate for their just rights. The performance was opened with an overture played very nicely by Miss Quinn, after which Miss N. Murphy spoke a prologue with good effect. The words were appropriate to the occasion, and elicited great applause. The following programme was then gone through : — Full chorus of about 30 girls, " Beautiful Star "; dialogue, •' Folly and FashioD," Misses Connolly and A. Murphy, and Master H.Louis ; •ong, " He, She, It," the little girls ; recitation, "The Boys' Lament," Master J. Connolly ; solo with chorus, •' Send for Mother, Birdie's Dying," Miss M. A. Connolly and girls ; dialogue, " Pussy Cat," Misses C. GafEaney and C. i^opplewell ; chorus of boys, " Ten Minutes Too Late "j recitation, " Tne Sparrow's Nest," Miss L. Qainn ; duet, "Friendship," Misses M. and M. A. Connolly; solo, " Papa, Stay Home," Miss^Connolly ; chorus of girls, "Come Birdie, Come"; dialogue, " The Choice," Misses A. Murphy and C, Gaffaney ; cooiic song, "Dr. Quack," Master H. Louis ; dialogue, "A Gift from Ireland," Misses M. and B. Connolly, quartette ; "We'll all go a-Singing." Masters H. Louis, J; Clarke, J. Connolly, and T. Dunne ; recitation, " Grandpapa," Master M. Demuth ; solo, " Children's Voices," Master H. Louis; dialogue, "Mrs. Caudle's Umbrella Lecture,"" Miss McGrath and Master J. Clarke; duet, •' The Vacaut Chair," Misses M. A. Connolly and E. Demuth; dialogue. "Taking the Census," Miss A. Murphy, and Masters H. Louis and W. Jackson ; and a full chorus of girls, •' Far Away." Besides, two dramatic sketches were enacted : one entitled " The Broken Window," by Miss E . Gaffaney and the boys, and another entitled " Who is to Inherit ?" by the girls. It would be impossible to particularise every item on the programme, which was certainly gone through in a manner that would do justice to adults. The singing of the children throughout was very good. In the choruses the voices blended beautifully together, the time was good, and the pieces were rendered as.well as could possibly be expected from children so young. Miss Gaffaney accompanied the siDgers on the piano and greatly helped to achieve buccess. She played with great care and never so loud as to drown the voices. This is the great feature in an accompanist, and the way in which Miss Gaffaney observed this rule was worthy of great praise. The solos sung by the Misses Connolly and Master H. Louis were capitally rendered, and the encores were frequent, but in no case were they responded to. Misses C. and M. Quinn also played a duet on the piano splendidly, and won great applause. The most praiseworthy feature of the programme, however, was the drama ••Who is to Inherit?'' in which Misses A. Elkis, C. Gaffaney, Connolly, E. Connolly, M. A. Connolly, Demuth, M. Gaffaney, Brosnaban, and Fitzgerald "took part. This piece was rendered excellently, and in it Miss M. A. Connolly. Miss Connolly and Miss Fitzgerald displayed much histrionic ability. The dramatic sketch % "The Broken Window" I was also well rendered by a large number of boys, assisted by Miss ' E. Gaffaney, who showed great intelligence in the way she acted her { part. Master Elkis acted the part of Judge, and preserved a grave and solemn look while the comedy in which he was playing a part, ! and which made the audience laugh loudly, was being enacted. He ! spoke his lines — which by-the-bye were very long — well, and Master H. Louis also acquitted himself of his part capitally. The dialogues and recitations were spoken with great precision and clearness — in fact, the most marked features of the entertainment were the purity of pronunciation, the distinctness of articulation, and the general excellence which characterised the speaking powers of the children. Without a single exceptiou they all spoke almost faultlessly, considering their ages, and showed that much pains and care had been expended on their traiuing. On the whole, the Sisters of St. Joseph may be congratulated, not alone on the success of their concert, but also on the excellent manner in which their pupils acquitted themselves. At the conclusion of the programme Mr. Quinn, on behalf of the Rev. Father Fauvel and the bisters, thanked those present, and the whole entertainment was brought to a close by the singing of " God Save the Queen."

Mr. John Bright has wiitten a letter to Mr. Blennerhasset, candidate for Parliament from the city of Manchester, condoling with him on the opposition of the Irishmen in that city who are supporting the Tory candidate. Mr. Bright assures him that Codlin, not Short, is the true friend of Ireland, although Codliti has been fully as bitter a foe of Ireland in the recent as Short was in the more remote past. It 19 the Irish leaders, according to John Bright, who are the worst enemies of Ireland — all of which is cabled to America and respectfully submitted as a dazzling novelty in electioneering —