The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1856-08-06

| And weeping he turned from she view:
| ''Ah me! that thou hest on that cold bier,
The one 1 have loved for so many year!"
The third once more uplifted the veil,
| He sSed the lIps deadly pale; r.
| Thee loved eUsr. still love l thee,
| And thee Will love though Eternity"
| .v From INLAND.
COUNTRY EXPERIENCES CUR DEBATING
t it SOCIETY.
! Once upon time before people were quite
as wise and as knowing as they seem to have
become in latter years, we had debating So
ciety. 1t met inthe little brick meeting house,
not far from the village, and it was quite re-
| freshing to hear the aStonishingly original
flights Of eloquence in which some of the mem
bers occasionally INDUCED. What made these
rural discussions of high themes still more
amusing, at times was the very liberal spirit
in which they were conducted. After the ques
ton appointed for the evening was once open
ed by the members proper, any person among
the audience had also the privilege of joining
in, and speaking upon whichever side he
thought proper This iberality on the part
Of the association was productive of a good deal
Of variety, and afforded not unirequently quite
la number Of amusing Incidents; and one of
these, in which Long Bill Walker figured, l
am now about to relate Bill was a Piney-
woodsman; long, lean, sallowl looking indI-
vidual, with abundance of assurance but gno-
rant as a Boetian. He had also two infirmi
ties. He was hard drinker and hard Of
hearing. The first falling made him a good
fellow as stump politician in his own DIS
trict; the second often led to ludicrouS mis-
takes, through which he was regarded as hui
morist, and by which his personal popularity
was greatly enhanced.
Now it happened on one particular evening,
81 hat al1 Il
which of all questions in the world, rough
country people know the least about.
1t waS-"Ought the Drama to be encour-
aged?" Young Robert Gibbs, the miller's
son, had the honor of proposing the theme !,
for, as he had once been member for a whole
winter Of metropolitan debating association,
his suggestions were always received by the
little society of the meeting house with de-
gree of delerence that showed how highly
they estimated the privilege he had enjoyed.
Well, the debate was-"Ought the Drama to
be encouraged?' -4e
John Wlllet, old Farmer Willet's nephew,
OF Apple Hill, opened the discussion. He
said, 'he thought the Drama was good
thing He had heard it was a very funny
thing; and funny things ought always 70 be
encouraged, they made body laugh so. HII
had never seen a drama, but he'd like to do 1t.
Aunt Nancy seen it once, and told him twas
a beautiful sight, and beautiful sights ought to
be encouraged. People talked a good deal
about the great Shakespeare; and he had read
once in newspaper how Mister Shakespeare
was the biggest Drama man that ever lived,
and that lots of furreners go to look at the
place where he was buried, and think the
world and all of him because he was Drama
man. Tharfore he held that the Drama ought
to be encouraged"
John Willet resumed his seat amidst great
applause from his friends; and Robert Gibbs
rose Immediately in reply.
His first sentence was a triumphant one
lie ran his fingers through his flaxen hair as
he uttered it. lie looked about him with all
the superciliousness of conscious superiority.
ale had seen a drama,' he said, ''and he also
knew something of its effects. As the gentle
man had very properly remarked it was beau
tiful; it was delightful He confessed it. No
one loved it more than he. He was intoxcat-
ed, rapturously intoxicated, by it for days af-
terWardS. 1t was tempting. 1t was attrac
tive; it made man feel as if he was in anoth-
er, and better world, as the player said; but
it gave people distate for ordinary enjoyment
and led them, little by little, to ruin, and dis
grace, and beggary. 1t was a delicious poison,
and he entreated his hearers never to drink of
it; never to 60 near it; to shun it as they would
copperhead to think of the wretchedness
thar followed it. lie councelled them TO be-
ware in time; to touch not, taste not, handle
not, the unclean thing He spoke from the
high ground of experience and he knew from
his own feelings, how difficult it was to refrain
entirely after having been once tempted. 1t
clung to him SILL as the chicken grape clings
to the oak; and he couldn't shake it off. He
wanted to be dramatist himself He want
ed to feel heroic, and to rejoice, over and over
again in the beautiful creations Ofhis BRAIN
He dare say if he tried he might be one; it
seemed easy enough; but be didn't like to try;
he was afraid of it. He knew what it lead to;
and he wished to live among the sober reali-
ties of life, and not to be made miserable when
the exhilerating effects of the sweet delusion
passed off, He didn't want to say any more
just then, but if the gentlemen who were to
! follow him should advance any arguments IN
favor Of the Drama, he thought he could yet
satisfy every unprejudiced mind that it was
an injurious thing, and ought not to be en-
couraged." r.s,s- -.-g
| Young. Robert Gibbs sat down, and amidst
the storm of appreciation that marked the con
cIusion of his speech, up rose long Bill Walk
Ter. ~ l .-
"Feller citizens of the United States of
! Amerikv. and Mister President said he, Il
am a kinder stranger in these parts; bein' born
and raised. in the old Piney woods; but I've
heerd things said tonight that l opinionate
amt nothin' short of treason to this great,
wonderful and far-stretchin' land of liberty
George the third had his Brutus and Caesar
his Cromwell, and Charles the first may profit
Inv their example as Patrick Emory used to