The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1864-05-20
MIR. Watts on the Boston Organ.

MIR. Watts on the Boston Organ.
In my last l promised to give the world
my idea OF this new pivot, the Great Organ
of Boston. Boston is the capital Of New
England, and received its name from the
Indian word Bosting pronounced with the
long. The word had little or no signifi-
cance, and the difficulty of ascertaining how
it ever came to be applicable to the town is
SO great that drop the subject.
In the static center of creation there is a
genteel vacuum, called the Music Hail. /;
is not far from the Common, circumstance
which reminds NE Of every thing else in Bos-
ton. Now Nature disapproves of vacuum,
and SO the Music Hall was filed frSt by Mr..
Parker and afterwards by Mr.. Phillips.-
This arrangement not being satisfactory to
the universe, Mr.. Upham, having triumph
antly finished the Typhus Fever, the Conge,-
tive ditto, the circulation Of NJ. Groux, aad
other musical enterprises, (for an account ol
which seen an article in Atlantic Monthly,
which DIR. Holmes wrote, with q few hints
from me,) conceived the idea of placing at
the point of Cosmic Equilibrium, machinr
in every way worthy of he situation. lac
machine, which never did nor never will
have It's mate, it is necessary for ne to lip.ct
under three heads: The Inside, the Outside
and the Boston Part. The frs two have
been excelled; it is the Boston Part which
is inimitable and unique.
The Inside is grand, gloomy and peculiar.
Leaving the nurse to trurdle the baby by
the Frog Pond, Susan and penetrated the
Organic realm. She said it was dark ana
dusty, and didn't smell so pleasantly as she
/ could wish. My dear" | replied, with
grave and eminent good sense, "your eyes
aud nose prejudice you. Never allow one
organ to sit in Judgment on another"
While We were in the ;nmost recesSes Of
!
lines, its ;pral vistas and the tender solici-
tude with which It's comfort was Consulted
pipe being provided for every one OF is
unreasonably numerous mouihs-an amateur
performer, ignorent OF our wheresbouts be-
gan to perform. Now, amatuers always t:y
the full organ at once, to see now far they
can go in the direction Of noise. Then. they
proceed to experiment with the new stops
the Vox Pupulit, the Eox et pratereo Nin.l,
and others. Tie first blast Of the fail organ
blew out our light, and obliged US 10 remain
where we were: fer Susan would not consea;
to wander in the dagk IN such 4 dangerous
place. She was afraid we might wander into
the diapason ard get bl,wn up chimney
We had therefore capital opportunity, and
one that never return again, Qf | caa help j.
to listen to the celebrated organ.
The first thing was waltz on the full Or,
gan, the magnificent effect of which have
, no werds to describe. 1t was not Ike any
thing had ever heard, and so l adopt tn,
metaphor OF DR.. Holmes, who says it resem
a bles pillows tumbling through ocean caverns
L While listening to it with indispensable de
" light, and sensation like that CT riding OF
: locomotive, found that my nose Wa
! bleeding The sublime effect of Mont B!an
}, is somewhat similar am told. Susan va
r unable to get over the first bar of the walt
t, without fainting away. Perhaps it was for
:. tunate for US that the amateur rather fright
It ened at his own performance, hasten 10 Il:
v Nox Angelica, and glided from the fury c
e the waltz into the mid pathos of DAYS {
r Absence He played the melody BY itse
d on the highest octave, to get the full angel
i effect. Susan recovered from her swool
d and being tod where she was, and that th
? voices of angels sounded like that, energet
- cally declared that she didn't want to 90
e. heaven then" reproved her with dignity
ss "My love, you should not critnise so sever
s. lv the voices of angels. Remember they al
e. obliged to sing all the time" Just then Il
v plaintive melody gave symptoms of approac
Or ing change. The Amatuer held on Une no
IS good while with his left hand, while
ce proper stop with his right Then the V
Angelica gave ont suddenly, and anOIh
We voice took up another tune. The effect W
se fine; as when one sings Days of A-a-a-b
en- thi. cruel war is over" Amateurs ma
- these transitions very neatly.
Ter "What's that ?" said Susan. l was Il
w sure that | knew, but | answered witho
ry, hesitation: That, my dear, is Nox nipti
he ria, great improvement on the Human
&C. and the peculi ar treasure Of the Boston {
ng gan." Subsequent inquiries showed me Il
- my conjecture was correct At this insta
nd however, felt cold chill upon my back, a
en- soon found it to proceed from one of /
mp pipes of the Vox Diptheria, which was ge
a ly injecting small stream of icy air aIo
er- nv spinal column, from the neck down
It With great presence of mind, placed
d." hand over the aperture, checking the drsug
nth The amateur was about to trill on that VI