TO THE WIDOW OP MAJOR BOOTH,
Who addressed, in a brave speech, the soldiers under the
command of her late husband at his burial in Fort
Pickering.
0, most true wife! worthy that sacred name!
0, patriot! born for our great history!
0, thou possessor of the sole truo fame,
Deep in all hearts, a loving memory!
Breathing afar New England’s sea-fed air,
We sit and weep to know thy strickon lot,
Then glow and kindle at thy noble plot,
Nobly performed; a heavy deed, and rare;
Thy husband’s glory thou hast mado more fair,
And still wouldst follow on his sacred way;
In night thy lamp hath spread a golden day;
Whnt breast so dark but feels its light is there ?
Thy blood-stained flag, hold by his shatteredband
Shall quicken life and freedom through our land.
Mat 4, 1864.
BUI BVI EIEiT CiITRAL FAIR.
If there lives a Pennsylvanian, or a Jersey
man, or a Delawarian, with soul so dead that
never to himself has said, this is our own Great
Central Fair, and thus saying, taken his wife
and his children, and his reasonable sized
greenback, and gone to Logan Square, and
done the Fair, from a peep at a five cent
show to an inspection of Vanderlyn’s
Ariadne, the said Pennsylvanian, Jersey
man or Delawarian should be immediately se
cured at any cost, and placed in a glass case,
in the department of Belies and Curiosities.
Mrs. James would, doubtless, find the receipt*
of her department largely increased by such
an acquisition. We resume our notices of
matters and things at the Fair:
THE SCHOOL DEPARTMENT.
When the Great Sanitary Fair was firßt sug
gested no one entered more heartily into
the scheme than did the teachers and pupils of
our public and private schools. At once a
series of entertainments, musical and literary,
were projected and carried through with re
markable sucoess. The young ladies of the
different sections were particularly active, and
our magnificent Academy of Music never held
such large audiences ag when the school girls
presented the claims of the United States San
itary Commission to public favor.
The controllers of the Publie Schools, to
gether with the Directors of the Sections, did
all in their power to speed the great cause, and
the result is seen in the contributions already
made and the display now presented in the
Fair. Mr. Edward Shippen has been en
gaged night and day in assisting in the organi
zation of the many societies started in furth
erance of the object of the Fair, and he is still
devoting his time to it, to the entire exclusion
of his private business.
The School Department is situated on the
second avenue from Eighteenth street, running
south from Union Avenue. Individual taste
has been exerted to the utmost to give variety
OUB D-A-lIjIT Pabb.
and beauty to the decorations to the table de
voted to the different sections, and those en
gaged in the work have the satisfaction of
knowing that their avenue is second only to
the Union Avenue in attractiveness. All the
tables are filled with goods, some of which are
of great beauty and value, and the ready sales
prove that the ladies engaged have succeeded
in meeting the popular taste.
We have endeavored to secure a complete
record of the School movement in connection
with the Fair. Such a history would prove
invaluable in the future. Our success has been
but moderate. Belying upon the teachers and
attendants for information, we find that the con
tributions from them have not answered our ex
pectations, and we trust that if any thing is
omitted in the subjoined sketch, it will not be
attributed to lack of industry or want of sym
pathy with the above on our part. To the
ladies and gentlemen who assisted us so cheer
fully and ably in the collection of materials,
we tender our thanks, and proceed to enter
upon the task set before us.
the curl's normal school..
Midway in the avenue is the table occupied
by the contributions from the young ladies of
the Normal or Girl’s High School. In addition
to the collection of fancy goods there are seve
ral fine drawings, the work of the pupils.
These display great ability in this line, and
give promise of future renown to the young
lidies who contribute them, if they will but
continue their artistio labors. The collection
of goods is large and varied, and the young
ladies prove decided adepts as saleswomen.
The other sections will have to look to it that
this section does not march off with the ban
ner which is to be given to the section making
the largest returns at the close of the Fair.
THE BOYS’ CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL.
For several weeks before the opening of the
Fair, a Committee of young gentlemen from
the “ Boy’s Central High School ” were busily
engaged in deoorating the avenue appropriated
to the School Department, and, the result has
shown with what taste and energy their labors
were conducted.
But their exertions did not stop here.
Through the influence of Mr. Edward Ship
pen, Chairman of the Committee on “ Public
and Private Schools,” and Prof. Maguire, of
the' High School, they secured large gifts
of books, chiefly from the Harpers, of New
York, and Messrs. Biddle, Uriah Hunt, Butler
and Martin and Bandall of Philadelphia.
With these they have filled the largest single
table in the whole School Department, and
have worked diligently to make the sales equal
to those of any othpr table; always at their
post, and courteous to all, they have earned
credit for themselves and the institution* to
which they belong.
There are two noticeable features at their
table, one of High School bravery, and the
other of High School ingenuity. The first is
the battle-flag of the “ Louisiana Tigers,”
captured by Captain William L. Stork, a
High School graduate, and the second is an
elegant and ponderous scrap-book, the gift
of Master Charles Mortimoore, a pupil of
the school. It is filled with magnificent steel
engravings, and valued at $l5O.
Among the committee no one has been more
diligent and active than Master Thomas Ayres.
He has scoured presents of stationery of all
descriptions from several of the leading firms
of the city, the sales of which have materially
aided the receipts of the table.
The pupils of the High School have raised
about $l,OOO in cash for the Sanitary Commis
sion, which, added to the receipts from the
table, will make a total worthy the high name
of the school.
The following young gentlemen constitute
the High School Committee. We can only
hope they will continue as well as they have
begun in the good work of aiding suffering
humanity: Bichard Newman, Thomas W.
Ayres, Wilson Kilgore, William Witters, Hart
well Sterr, James Conner, Eolph M. Town
send, Benjamin F. Houseman, Charles Howell,
William Eastwick, William Zeigler, Brandon
L. Keys.
third section,
This section has been actively engaged in
the Sanitary cause from the first. The direc
tors authorized one session throughout the
section immediately after the. actiou of the
Controllers of Public Schools granted such
privileges. This gave all the teachers an
opportunity to accomplish much in aid of the
good cause. The teachers have been laboring
with 'assiduity, as the tables at the Fair will
bear abundant testimony. The stands contain
a great number of handsome and costly arti
cles,which reflect much to their credit and
taste, as everything is of their own manufac
ture, excepting a few small articles presented
by the pupils.
The Mount Vernon Female Grammar School
gave a grand musical concert at the Academy
of Music in April, and the Male Grammar
School a grand literary and musical entertain
ment in the Musical Fund Hall in May, in be
half of the Sanitary Fund, and both realized a
very handsome amount, as the result of the
great liberality and patriotism of the directors
and patrons of these schools.
All the Secondary and Primary Schools
have.aided liberally in swelling the fund in
the Section, to be contributed to the “ Sanitary
Commission at the close of the Fair.”
The table of this Section presents a very
fine display of national emblems furnished and
arranged by the Directors and teachers.
The shelves and counters (burdened and
beautified with the many handsome articles
given) are surmounted with a very fine
specimen of the “ American Eagle,” the