Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1864-03-29
LaurhInE-Gnn RXhIbItIons

Among the very refined "moraP exhibit
tioDs often had recourse to nowadays, as
stimulus, that Of protoxyd Of nitrogen is
prominent. This agent-which is better
known, perhaps, as laughing -gss-hss,
we believe, its proper uses. It Is stated to
have been successfully tried as an anes-
thstic, and that painful operations can be
disarmed Of their terrors by its applica-
tion. If this be so-snd we have at pres
rs b B6nEnC TO -sI6enng Il 6husaryii i1ru we
therefore wish it all success in its mission
Of allsVisting misery; but we do not like
it, at all, in its employment as an agent
for giving comic entertainments. Nstu-
rally speaking, in fact the perfume Of
protoxyd Of nitrogen is not always so
sweet as that Of the modest violet.
At sll the exhibitions Of Isughing-gss
which we have witnessed, pretty much the
same assorted lots Of people were to be
seen ss those who pstroniEed Bsrnum's.
Aminadab Sleek was there, for instance,
with several members Of his cheerful and
interesting family and in the same crowd
we were generally shocked to observe
some few persons sntitheticsl in sex and
reputation to Aminsdab Sleek, and whom
it Is hardly necessary for Us to charsc-
terize distinctly here. Red, hsWever, is
popularity supposed to be their fsvOrite
color for dress. The stage, or platform,
upon which the protoxydated persons are
exhibited is provided with o hand-rail, to
prevent them from falling over and hurt
| ing the front row Of the psIquette. Such
precaution is necessary, because protoxy-
| dated persons are apt not only to stag
ger to and fro like other drunken people,
but also to invert themselves like the en-
bryO portraits in the camea Of the photo
grspher. Indeed the exhibition, in gene
raj, bears some resemblance to that which,
any Monday morning, the early police
reporter may see in the Police Court of
the Tombs. The professOr-usually dry,
yelloWish man, with q stiff black beard Of
formal cut-comes forward to the front Of
the stage, and makes little disjointed
speech, setting forth the numerous joys
that are slowed away, like shirts, boots,
and hair brushes, in the large indis-rub-
Der bag Of gas held by him. Presently he
invites any number Of gentlemen to step
upon the platform and taste his tsp-sn
invitation usually accepted by several
young men offs theatrical turn, by several
| other young men who are partially idiotic,
and by q few men Of maturer age, who fire.
quently have some deep laid scheme in
view, such as denouncing Q rival in trade
or love, or advertising patent article Of
some kind belonging to them All these
persons are affected by the laughing gas,
so the professor tells us, according to their
several temperaments. The stout, horid
young man Of STACEY tendencies, after
having Hrested the bag from the professor
and tapped him soundly about the ears
with it-for which we hereby tender him
our thanks-reels and stamps about for a
/ few moments under the influence Of the
intoxicating agent, and then, striking a
moody attitude, proceeds to treat the audi
ence to q very correct reading Of HsmlePs
soliloquy, perhaps. We can see that the
stsge-struek young man has now his wits
about him, and is determined to make the
most Of this, his first appearance on the
stge, and we are troubled about Aminadsb
Sleek, who is thus brought face to face
with Shakespeare and Toodles in one brief
moment. Some laughter greets the efforts
Of the stsge-struck young man, but more
| applause, for the feminine element is very
strong in the house, and they all dearly
love a bit out of play. The low come
dian Of the evening" however, is the par
tally idiotio young man, who, having
become totally and disgustingly idiotic
under the influence Of the gas, reels wildly
along the hsndrail, giving uttersnce to
cultural yells not unlike those executed
by persons in q psroxysm Of vocal gym
nsstics. These efforts Of high art are
greeted with rosrs Of inextinguishable
laughter. Then comes the bsld-headed
pstentee Of middle age, who, after the
usual drunken demonstration, while really
under the spell Of the nitrogen, eools of
suddenly, and denounces in set terms his
rival, or sdvertises his magic hair-restoreI
ss the case may be. And he, too, is hon.
ored with many rounds of applause; more
for his ingenuity, perhaps, than for his
WiL-RoHHd Table