The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1868-11-26
The Story CT a Popular Song.

Ehe Story CT Popular Song.
w w, in the Stattoner, gives the follow
Ing account Of the singing of Father Come
Home, in one of tie music halls in London
Having reached the hall. we paid an ad-
mission fee of sixpence. There was a very
neat stage. with gasdy drop-scene, side
wings, and tolerable good orchestra. Ia
the stalls sat the chairman, to keep order
over as motley an audience as ever was seen
out of the gallery of the Victory Theatre
'Costers' seemed to pred"minate. All ap-
Peared Pientilully supplied with porter, and
all were enjoying their pipes at such an ex-
tent as to make the place almost suffocating;
Tor there must have been an audience of
nearly five hundred. A Niger 'walk-rouud'
was jnst being finished, aud the shouts Of
"encore y whistling and stamping of feet
made the hall perfectly bewilderin2. a
name was announced from the chairman,
which we could not catch, and amidst clap
ping Of hands and stamping of feet there
was buzz Of This is the Song!' The wal
ter called loudly ANY more orders p and
these being taken aud duly executed, all
seemed o settle down quietly II listen to the
song. There was the symphony, and an
other buzz Of This is - and we began to
feel anxious. Presently a female came in
front of the curtain, amidst great applause,
aud commenced. Father, dear father &c.
Every word was distinct, aud she sang the
ballad with great feeling. In order. how
ever. to fully describe the scene which fol-
lowed each verse. il is necessary to give
little Mary's' song:
FEATHER, dear father, come home with me now,
The clock IN the steepe strikes One (gong
ou, promised, dear father, that you would
come home
As soon your days work was done,
Our fire has gone out--our house is all dark,
And mothers been watching since tea,
With poor little Benny so sick in her arms,
And no one to help her but me-
Come home, come home, come home
Please father, dear father, come home
cat the conclusi'n Il Of the last line the drop
seems drew up, disclosing the father sitting
at the door of a public house. il drunken.
bemuddied state. with pipe aud pot before
him. Little Mary was trying To drag hlm
from his seat, at the same time pointing to
curtain behind, as size took up the refrain
from the lady. and touckiLgly sang Come
home DC. This other curtain was now
drawn aside. disclosing a wretched room in
which was the mother with the poor sckIv
looking boy in her lap, and in the act of
feeding him with spoon. simultaneously
with the drawing of the curtain the lime
light was brought to bear upon the tableaux,
giving them 2 truly startling effect. After
moment or two the act-drop came down,
and the lady proceeded
FEATHER dear father. come home with me now,
The clock in the steeple stiikes TWO [gong,
gong,)
The night has grown colder, and Benny is
worse,
But he has been calling for YOU
Indeed he Is worse, mother says he will die,
Perhaps before morning shall dawn,
And this was the message she sent me to
bring
Come quickly or he will be gone.
Come home. come home, come home,
Please father, dear father come home
The act drop rises again, and now the
child has hoId of the pewter pot, trying To
take it from the drunken parent and, as she
continues the last two lines, Come homs.'
&c +, the other curtain is drawn aside, ami
we next sec the child stretched out on its
mothers lap. and as it Just raises its little
head and falls back with gasp, with the
lime-ght rejecting strongly upon it. there
was reality about the whole, terrible to
view. Sobs were heard coming from all parts
of the hall. coming from the female portion
! of the audience, while tears trickled down
many male cheek We have seen Susan
Hopley,' The Stranger Jane Shore. , East
Lynn and other effective pieces play ed, but
never before did we witness such sceue of
SOhOi al u nc piltNipdl lCdJliEc CdliSt
to mind the picture eff the Sister of Mercy ,
with the dying child in her lap, and the
death was fearfully natural. Even :he lady
who sang the song was affected, and could
scarcely proceed with the third verse:
Father. dear father, come home with me now.
The clock in the steeple strike Three !.
(gong, gong, goug,)
The house is so lonely she hours are 80 long
For poor We ping mother and me.
Naz tra auln Rev s. d.
And gone with the angels Of light
And these are the very last words that he
said
I want to kiss papa good night "
Come home. come bome. come home.
Please, father, dear father, come home
"Again the Drop rose. disclosing little
Mary on her knees appealing 10 her father,
who, with pot elevated. is in the act of stri-
king her with it, as she sings come home
and then the back curtain draws aside,
showing the mother praying over child's
coffin. But now the sobS burst more freely
and two females were carried out fainting
| The scene was truly narrowing and we CLAD
! ly turned eur eyes away.
"An additional verse was sung about Poor
Benny being with tie angels above. The
drop rose the father, sober now is weeping
over the coffin with the mother, and little
Mary on her knees singing Home, home.
father, dear fathers come homep At this
moment the curtain is drawn aside. and lit
! tie Benny is suspended over the coffin with
wings. smiling down upon them and point
ing upwards. The father falls forward on
: his face. the aot-drop descends, and for a few
I minutes all is hushed save<tho sobs of the
/ females.
'There y said working man by our side,
as be heaved sigh of relief. Mr.. Spurgecn
never preached better sermon than that =
Ian expression to which we assented, and
thon left the hall.'