The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1866-12-04
n u M o r. o u S
A Ecripfnral Panorama.

Mark Twain, In the AttG CGt9-
tornian, tells the following $ enter
tanning history Of the Scriptural Panor
rama ise4e - sallaH q -
There was fellow travelling
around in that country, (saldi. Mrs.
Nickerson) with a moral rellgloou'ls
show-a sort of Scriptural panorama
and he hired wooden headed old
slab to play the piano for him. Alter
the first nights performance, the
| Snowman says: ,ssssss tza.4 .4sa.gT, ~ n
my friend, you seem to know
pretty much all the tunes there are,
and YOU worry along first rate. But,
then. don't you notice that sometimes
last night the piece you happened to
be playing was little rough on the
proprieties, so to speak-didn't seem
to jibe with the general gait of the
picture that was passing at the time,
as it were-was little foreign to the
subject, you know-as If you didn' b
either trump or follow suit, you un-
derstand?n1 G yAila C1
Well, no. the fellow said; he
hadn't noticed, but it might be; he
played along just as it came handy. Il
So they put it up that the simple
old dummy was to keep his eye on the
panorama, after that, and as soon as
stunning picture was reeled out, he
was to fit it to a dot with piece of
music that would help the audience
to get the idea of the subject, and
warm them up like camp meeting
revival. That sort OF. thing would
corral their sympathies the Snowman
said. i~44
There was big audience that
night-mostly middle-aged and old
people, who belonged to the church,
and took a strong interest in Bible
matters, and the balance pretty much
young fellows and girls-they always
come out strong on panoramas, you
know, because 1t gives them a, chance
to taste one another's mugs in the
dark r,4sTf
We'll, the Snowman began to swell
himself up for his lecture, and the
old mud-dobber tackled the piano
and run his fingers up and down once
or twice to see that all was right, and
the fellows behind the curtain COM
menced to grind out the panorama.
The Snowman balanced his weight on
his right foot. and propped his hands
on his hips, and flung his eyes over his
shoulder at the scenery and said II
Ladies and gentlemen, the paint
ing now before you illustrates the
beautiful and touching parable of the
Prodigal Son. Observe the happy
expressions just breaking over the.
face of the poor, suffering youth-so
worn and weary with his long march;
note also the ecstacy beaming from
the uplifted countenance of the aged
father, and the joy that sparkles in
the eyes of the excited group of
youths and maidens, and seems ready
to burst in welcoming chorus from
their lips. The lesson, my friends, is
as solemn and instructive as the theo-
ry is tender and beautiful.
The mud -dobber was all ready,
and the second the speech was finish
ed he struck up:
3'Oh! wen all get blind drunk
When Johnny comes marching homer
" Some of the people giggled and
some groaned little. The Snowman
couldn't say word He looked at
the piano sharp. but he was all lovely
and serene-he didn't know there was
anything out of gear.
The panorama moved on, and the
Snowman drummed up his grit and
started in afresh:
Ladies and gentlemen, the fine
picture now unfolding itself to your
gaze, exhibits one of the most notable
events in Bible history-our Saviour
and his disciples upon the sea of Gal
lice. How grand, how awe inspiring
are the reflections which the subject
invokesl What sublimity of faith is
revealed to us In this lesson from the
sacred writingsl The Saviour rebukes
the angry waves, and walks securely
upon the bosom of the deepp
Z All around the house they were
whispering: Oh, how lovely, how
beautiful! , and the orchestra let him.
self out again:
"Oh, a life on the ocean wave.
And home on the rolling deepl"
There was a good deal of honest
snickering turned ON this time. and
considerable groaning, and one or two
old deacons got up and went out. The |
Snowman grated his teeth and cursed |
the piano man to himself, and the
fellow sat there like log, and seemed |
to think he was doing first rate.
After things got quiet, the show
man thought he would make one
more stagger at it anyhow, though his |
confidence was beginning to get /
mighty shaky. The supes started the
panorama to grinding along again,
and he said:
:. Ladies and gentlemen, this ex-
qmslte painting illustrates the raising
OF Lazarus from the dead by our Sa-
ylour. The subject has been handled /
with rare ability by the artist, and
sucn touching sweetness and tender
ness he has thrown into IL. that T j