Tea and Dance at Birmingham

Feilding Star, Volume XI, Issue 47, 8 October 1889, Page 3

Tea and Dance at Birmingham

♦ (fbom ouk own cokrespondent.) " Happy are those the sun shines upon." I The morning of the 4th broke very unpromising, and the children, whose treat the tea meeting was to be, looked very blue. Later on the day turned out fine, and everything went " merry as a marriage bell." At 5.30 about 140 persons, including over 60 children, sat down to tea. The tables having been furnished, were presided over by Mesdames Lowes, Moore, Tyreman, Burne, Eichardson and Bryce, and Miss Perry, and were very tastefully decorated with flowers and The tables were loaded with •v- -abundance of solids and delicacies, the Kiwitea^and Birmingham ladies thus proving conclusively that cooking, as well as ornamentation as an art, had not been neglected in their education. After full justice had been done to the good things provided, Mr T. A. Bryce thanked those present for coming, those who had cooperated with the School Committee in getting the project afoot, and those who had furnished and presided at the tables. About 9 o'clock, the tables having been -cleared, dancing was commenced, which was kept up, almost without intermission, until daylight. During one of the intervals Mr Leary gave a fine exhibition of step dancing. Messrs Bosher sang two -duetts which were much admired. Mr T, A. Bryce gave a recitation -which, although excellently rendered, was too ■serious to afford general satisfaction. The whole affair must be pronounced a decided success, and as there will be something like ;£lO netted, the School Committee are to be congratulated on the success which has attended this and •every other venture of theirs. Ido not :Bay this to flatter them. They do their ■duty ; it is the cause that is popular. Mr S. J. Thompson kindly lent most of the -crockery required for the occasion, and Mr Peter Thomson presented a tin of ■confectionery for the children. The only -drawback to the whole affair was the size •of the building, which was far too small. While thanking the owner for the courtesy shown in lending the room, I take •this opportunity of saying that ere long I hope we shall have a more commodious -and suitable building for meetings such as that held on Friday night. On Tuesday, October Ist, Mr Bindon 'examined the Birmingham School. Out >of 25 sent up for examination only 3 failed ; percentage of passes, 88. Miss Low, the teacher, must be complimented •on the result, which must be very gratifying to her considering that she has only had the school in hand a few months. There are about 40 children attending, many of them for their first year.