ASHBURTON. (Ashburton Mail, December 21.)

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXI, Issue 35, 29 December 1893, Page 19

ASHBURTON. (Ashburton Mail, December 21.)

The annual gathering at the Convent schools— an event looked forward to every year by a select few who accept the invitatiooa of tbe Sister*, in addition to tbe parents and fiiends of the ohildren attending the schools— was yesterday afternoon the brilliant affair it always is. We are surprised that tbe many lovers of music in Ash* burton do not put themselves about to attend this little gathering and see for themselves what can be done by ladies who really know tbeir work and take a hearty interest in it, in the matter of teaching children the real beauty of music. As it was there was a large attendance, all the seats being occupied, but there would have been plenty of room for many of out male musicians, who would have been only too glad, bad they been there, to have been content with "standing room only" to hear the fifteen items given by thechildren. The schoolroom was as usual handsomely decorated, and the walls and tables set against them were covered with beautiful samples of needlework of every kind, from the highest work in smbroidery to tbe more homely but still, superb work required in the making of a man's shirt. After tbe priie distribution Bey Father O'Donnell tendered his own and the parents thicks to tbe Bey Mother, tbe Sisters, and tbe children for tbe excellent entertainment they had just listened to . The giving of that entertainment was designed less perhaps to entertain thaa to show what bad been done during tbe year— what progress had been made by the pupils. It was good evidence of the progress made in tbat direction in which it pointed, but the work displayed outhewallsandontbe tables aronad the room bore testimony to the fact tbat while the accomplishments of music and elocution had been well ettended to, the other accomplish ments of needlework, so essential in a well-trained woman, had not been neglected. The ornamental in a girl's life was undoubtedly seen to, but the eminently practical wai made tbe first duty. And there was a special feature of the whole he wished to notice. The Sisters had worked under great disadvantage during the past year. King Measles bad claimed the time of a large number of the pupils. But much time had been lost by the carelessness of parents who had failed to understand that regular attendance on the part of tbe pupils was indispensable to real progress. The rev gentleman made mention of the perfect discipline maintained by the Sisters— already mentioned in our introduction— and pointed out that it was discipline of love, not a discipline maintained by tbe switch, but achieved by a careful training of the heart, and this was a point tbat the Catholics made much of in their teach* ing. It was a moral power the teachers sought to exercise, and be was pleased to see it so much in evidence in the Sisters' work. The speaker then made reference to the political aspect of Oatbolic ednca tion, and eloquently advocated the claims of the Catholic schools totbe concessions from Oofernment tbat were asked for. He also stated that in the recent elections their claims bad been thrust aside all along the line, in the same way tbat tbe Conservative party bad been thrust aside so tbat perhaps they had been beaten in good company. But they were not disheartened, and would make still greater effort* to make their block votes a real fast It was their intention to move tbe convent buildings "holns bolus" to a more convenient site in the centre of the town, and be hoped tbeir fellow colonists would assist them to find funds to defray tbe cost of the work. A baz tar on Boxing Day he hoped would do much in this direction.