St. Patrick's Day was attended by such weather as must have surely called up many memories of Ireland, with mist, and clouds, and sometimes threat of rain, and then the sun breaking through the haze to enforce remembrance of the fact that every cloud has its silver lining even in "the distressful country. Beyond the usual greetings which fare exchanged between all Irishmen on the day of their Patron Saint there was no special celebration in the earlier part of the day In the evening, however, a large number of convivial dinners were held; and afterwards all Irishmen in Shanghai and a great number of friends assembled at the Lyceum Theatre for the concert which had been arranged by the St. Patrick's Society.
The theatre had been most effectively decorated for the occasion with festoons of Irish green and red and a huge portrait of St. Patrick himself over the proscenium. The auditorium was completely filled and the pretty green programmes which were handed to the guests as they were conducted to their seats by the stewards, who wore rosettes in the form of a Shamrock, lent " pleasant touch of the right colour to the massed effect of gay dresses and black coats.
'A. bridge ncross the orchestra connected stage with stalls; the meaning of which was made apparent at the interval when the guests were called on to the stage to refresh themselves with drop of Irish punch, or as it would be called at Ballymoney, according to Mr. Blount, a " conversazione.""
ite of the attractions of the punch, regret was universally felt that it, prevented Mr. Blount from being heard again; for his singing of comic songs is such as is very seldom met with and the days are unhappily now too few during which he will be heard in Shanghai.
The greatest success of the evening was made by Miss Davies ard Mr. Fenton who danced an Irish jig together in costume. So well was this received, and deservedly so for nothing' prettier could be imagined, that after giving an encore at the first performance, they were persuaded to repeat the dance in the second half of the programme. Another bright contribution was the recitation by Mr. D. E. Donnelly "In Micky Flynn's Shebeen." Miss Macleod played a couple of violin solos in excellent style, and Mr. G. P. Lammert's fine voice was also heard with great effect in "The Wearing o' the Green." Yet another song which we must mention was "The Little Trish Girl" by Mr. W. J. Lewis who was warmly encored: and Mr. Corbett Smith, Mrs. W. H. Bell, Mrs. E. L. Marsh with songs, Mr. Mackay with a well executed hornpipe, Mr. E. Redmond with a cornet solo and Mr. J.C. Hudson with a remarkably well performed piece of "bluff" which completely took in the house, contributed to the pleasure of the evening.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.