THE SACRED HEART SCHOOL, N.E. VALLEY.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXV, Issue 29, 19 November 1897, Page 15

THE SACRED HEART SCHOOL, N.E. VALLEY.

ENTERTAINMENT AT THE CITY HALL,

The little school in connection with the Saored Heart Church, N.E. Valley, though perhaps little known to the general public, is doing a mo«t excellent work amongst the Catholic children at the north end of the town. The school, which is in charge of those gilted teachers, the Dominican Nuns, was founded by the Very Rev. Father Lynch, in compliance with the dying wishes of the late belo\ed Bishop, and so far it has proved a remarkable success. When only eight months in existence it went through with credit the ordeal of an examination by the public school inspector*, and the second examination in August last was most successful. The elates are at present carried on in the Church of the Sacred Heart. Both parent's and children have rallied round the Sisters in charge with the greatest enthusiasm, and the attendant c has u'rown to such an extent that the building of a school has become a most pressing necessity. In aid of this mos-t de->ii - able object a niusi aland dramatic entertainment was given in the City Hall on Friday hist. The concert was in every way a complete succe^ ;uul the large audit nee which filled the hall went home thoroughly delighted with the evening's entertainment. An excellent orchestra, iiiider the leadership of Mr. F. Robertshaw, opened the programme with a %cry enjoyable overture, and at a later stage rendered valuable assistance m the course of the dramatic portion of the entertainment. "A floral wreath from the poets and floral march," by pupils- of the Sacred Heart School, was the next item, which was specially designed for the occasion. The idea was simple but most effective, and as one beautiful movement followed another the admiration of the audience found expression in spontaneous outbursts of applause. The excellent training which the children receive at the school wa^ shown by the admirable way in which they recited their line, the little sxirl who gave the opening recitation being almost perfect. Mr. C. Pottrell was warmly encored for his- rendering ot '" Oh. steer my bmk tr> Erin's Isle," and responded with '• Trafalgar." Miss Rose Blancy was in splendid voice, and received an enthusiastic recall for her rendering of Somerset's '" Echo."' As an encore she gave a '• Slumber song." Mr. James Jago gave a vigorous- rendering of " The king's minstrel," and in response to an imperathe recall •-anj; " The ship's fiddler." A trin, •• Queen of the night." by the Misses Blaney and Mr. Jago, brought the first part of the programme to a close. The second part opened with a piano duet, " Valse de< fleurs," which which was played with great skill and precision by Miss Maud Liston and Miss I thel Lawrence. Miss Kitty Bhuioy sang '• Daddy " with great feeling, and in response to an encore she delighted the audience with '• Going to Kildare" Mr. C. Fottrell followed w r ith a very successful rendering vi "'1 he Garonne." Miss Staunton, who made whatwaspractically her (h'h)it as a public singt r, was accorded a very cordial reception, and her rendering of " Waiting "

was rewarded with an enthusiastic recall. Her repeat number, " O Erin my country," was also very warmly applauded. One of the most enjoyable items of the evening was Somerset's "' Pray for me," which was sung with great expression by Mr. James Jago. The entertainment concluded with a bright little play, written by one of the monks of Mount Melleray, entitled "Frank's military experiences.'' All the parts were taken by pupils of the school, and though the effort was a somewhat ambitious one, the capital performance which the boys gave showed that their teachers' confidence had not been misplaced. The principal characters were taken as follows: — JMa&Ur William Wood, an Irish soldier; Master John Macguire, the title role, Frank, a runaway student ; Master John Hannigan. president of the college ; Master John Lynch, the sergeant. All the parts were admirably taken, Masters Wood and Macguire being particularly good. A number of other boys, representing tbc rank and file of the array, went through some" military movements iv a very creditable way, though at one time it looked ah if the noble defenders of their country were going to get into a state of hopeless " mix.'' Altogether the performance was a great success and provoked no end oi merriment among the audien3e. Too much pnii-e cannot be given to Mr. F. Robertbhaw and Miss Moloney, for their services as conductor and accompanist respectively, and special thanks are al*o duo to Mr. Riedle for generous and much-appre-ciated assistance.